Time Changes Things Volume 1
by raelee514
Summary: PG-R, Allura/Lance:  Voltron Force Nicktoons  Begins nearing the end of the first year Keith is underground,  Lance, Pidge and Hunk are undercover at Galaxy Alliance,  Focus on the roles Lance is playing, Allura's part in it and their relationship.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Voltron belongs to WEP Entertainment and anyone else who owns it. I'm just having fun.

Notes: Unbetaed

...

Allura hated waiting, she wasn't a patient person. She stood by the full windows at the observation deck looking out at Earth's moon, it was crescent shaped and beautiful, stars bright in the sky. There were Galaxy Alliance Rogue class ships doing drills, flipping and free falling in the sky. Watching it made her miss her lion, made the unhealed wound in her heart burn with a brighter flame again - this was often the case. She usually channeled it into target practice, martial art training, or flying an Arusian Inferno ship.

If only she was home, on Arus. But she wasn't, her presence had been requested at the Induction & Peace Week on Earth by Sky Marshall Wade. Three planets were joining the Alliance, and more than 100 planets peace treaties with Earth, including Arus's were up for renewal. There were to be open discussions of the contracts, it would save time and all planets would be on the same page. Allura just prayed it went smoothly.

She watched as one of the Rogue ships kept trying to fire on another one, the other one barely moving yet maneuvering its way out of the blast zone. She smiled, recalling Lance doing the same to her during her first days as a member of the team. He'd been hard on her, harder on than any of the others. She'd learned the most from him because of it, because he hadn't been soft on her because of who she was. Because of it she'd been able to stay together and pull herself out of tight situations and be the fighter she was today.

"Watching your man do his thing, are you?" a female voice said from behind her.

Allura turned and gave a sincere smile of hello to Lieutenant Erica Thrace and forced herself not to roll her eyes. "I was just remembering being trained by him myself."

"Were you?"

"Well they all had a hand it," Allura said. "He was the toughest."

"Scuttlebutt says his classes are hardcore but worth it. I think he's the most popular teacher the Academy has ever had. Kids are always pissed when I end up subbing for him."

Allura nodded. "He just got back recently, I know."

"Yes, oh there is Sky Marshall Wade, I have something I need to report to him."

Allura didn't move, she was still waiting, she watched via the window's reflection Erica stride over to Sky Marshall Wade with military efficiency. Erica was a good young woman, a good pilot but she agreed with Wade's politics without question. It unsettled Allura that she didn't question Wade.

"Princess, sorry to keep you waiting," Coran said as he walked up to her. "I kept getting cornered by the representative for the planet Paxial, she's quite a talker."

"Is that one of the new allies?" Allura asked.

"Yes, oh my that poor cadet isn't doing very well at all - I think they all slacked off when Lance was on assignment." Coran said, his eyes taking in the drill going on outside the window.

Allura turned back and saw that the Rogue that hadn't been able to hit Lance had gone into a spin. Lance was in a dive going after it, none of the cadets who were idling on the side were doing the same. Allura looked at the spinning aircraft, it's possible trajectory and realized it could hit the glass roof of the flower park two floors below where she stood. It would cause a complete pressure system breakdown of the station they were in. Looking around she saw a console, she ran up to it and typed in her security code, luckily her clearance was rather high. She quickly figured out how to do what she was looking for and put a tractor beam on the spinning ship just before it crashed into the flower park.

Breathing out in relief, she looked up to see Coran looking at her with pride. Then there was a beep. "Hey, whoever you are, thanks for that save, was about to have to get under him bump off course which could have ended really badly. That was some good quick thinking."

Allura grinned even though she knew he couldn't see her. Hearing his voice felt right though, she hadn't seen or heard from him over two months. "You're welcome."

"Allura?"

"It's me, I'm sending him into Cargo bay two per instructions I'm getting on this console,"

"Yeah, I see them too, I'll see you in a bit."

"Soon."


	2. Chapter 2

When Lance walked into the cocktail party that Coran was Allura's companion for, Sky Marshall Wade wasted no time in walking up to him and starting to dress him down. Diplomats watched wide-eyed, fellow Alliance soldiers watched with mixed results. Allura saw some were thrilled to see Lance be berated publicly while others looked embarrassed for him.

Lance however listened and waited for Wade to take a breathe. The second the Sky Marshall stopped took a pause to inhale he started in himself.

"With all due respect, Sky Marshall Wade, I told you that drills would be better off deeper into space where there would be no possibility of the cadets crashing into the station. I warned you this would happened, and I told you I would be going on written record that I was following your orders against my own common sense for the safety of the people in this station and my cadets."

Diplomats, fellow Royal representatives, Kings and Queens stopped watching wide eyed and turned their eyes on Sky Marshall Wade with surprise.

Lance however was done talking because he knew if he said anything more, he was walking to far over the fine line he was walking everyday where he was pretending to believe in Wade's politics, to respect Wade in general if not always. Allura watched him swallow down the rest of what he wanted he wanted to say, but she could guess, he'd wanted to show of Lance. Lance was the youngest instructor at the Academy and he was getting a reputation as being the best the Academy had ever had for piloting. Wade liked looking good.

Wade was quiet after Lance's outburst, swallowing and looking around himself at the reactions of those around him. "This time, just this one time you get a warning Commander," Wade shouted, before turning on his heel and walking over to the bar.

Allura took that moment to cross the room, leaving Coran to follow in her wake at a much slower pace. A few fellow soldiers who were closer were talking to Lance already but he caught sight of her and broke away from them, stepping forward just in time to catch as she kind of leaped forward to hug him hello.

It wasn't really proper behavior in the situation they were in. Nor for the Crown Princess of Arus and Commander in the Galaxy Alliance, but Allura didn't care. He was her best friend, had been since she was sixteen and would always be.

"Thanks for saving everyone ass," Lance whispered in her ear. "I have a feeling, my knock him off course idea wouldn't have worked out too well."

"It might have."

"Or blown us both up, kid was falling at Mach 6, I was about hit Mach 8 to catch up."

Allura frowned as she pulled back. though she kept her hands on his arms, and his were still settled on her waist. "You shouldn't have agreed to be shown off like a poodle, Lance."

"A poodle? A poodle! I'm like a pure bred stallion, woman!"

Allura laughed but turned serious again. "Lance."

"I didn't have a choice, and you know it."

Allura sighed. "I know."

A throat cleared. They both turned their heads and saw Coran, holding onto three drinks, rather haphazardly. "I took the initiative and ordered you a drink Commander Larkin."

"Thank you, Coran," Lance said, letting go of Allura and taking hold of the beer Coran was holding as well as the wine glass holding the pink sparkling wine Allura preferred to drink. "Allura," he said handing it to her.

She smiled.

Coran cleared his throat again.

Allura gave Lance a look. Lance rolled his eyes and mouthed, 'you asked for it with that display of un-princess-like-behavior'.

"Princess, I realize that you have not seen Lance in some time and that there was a bit of a mishap, however racing across the room and throwing yourself bodily at him, when there is press and your peers standing around was quite improper. I feel I must say so."

"Yes, Coran." Allura sipped her drink.

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?"

Allura sighed. "Coran, I have no regrets."

Coran shook his head. "I just hope Nanny doesn't read it in the magazines. I find I have less and less time lately to listen to her rant for hours at me over the phone for not keeping you in line... Oh, oh, my, the representative from Paxial, I just can't talk to her again, excuse me."

Coran ducked into the elevator that was near by since Lance hadn't gotten three steps away from it before he was accosted by Wade. Lance and Allura both looked in the direction of the representative of Paxial and saw a very handsome woman around Coran's age walking toward them.

"Hello," she said, seeing them. She had elfish features, big eyes with black irises and all the lines on her face seemed to stem from laughing or smiling. "I thought I saw Arus representative Coran over here?"

Lance grinned at Allura.

Allura smiled back. "You did. I'm Princess Allura of Arus, you must be the representative of Paxial, Coran told me about meeting you."

The woman grinned. "Did he? I was afraid I was coming on too strong."

Allura tried not laugh as Lance swallowed a good bit of his beer to hide his own snicker. "Coran can be rather shy, he doesn't socialize much, only when his duties as Representative of Arus require it."

"Workaholic?"

"You could say that," Lance said.

The woman turned. "You are Commander Lance Larkin. Sky Marshall Wade was talking you up all day, I'm quite sorry he is trying to blame you for the near accident."

"Lucky for me, Allura was here to save my as- my pilot and me, Ma'am."

She smiled. "I'm sorry, I'm Queen Flavia."

Lance nearly spewed his beer, then stammered, stepped back and gave a bit of a clumsy bow, much to Allura's amusement. "You're Highness."

Allura herself curtsied. "We apologize, we didn't realize."

"Oh, no worries, I've never much stood for the etiquette of things, it makes a person lonely, don't you agree Princess Allura."

Allura nodded. "Very much so."

Flavia nodded. "I only wish when I was your age, I'd known such a handsome man to run across a room for, and on that note I'll let you two be. I'll find Coran some other time."

Lance nearly double over in hysterics once Queen Flavia was a good enough distance away in the crowd. "Oh my God, I never even... I mean... Coran, someone has the hots for Coran! I mean, has he ever even dated, ever?"

Allura stood there, realized her face was scrunching up in the way it did when she was thinking really hard, as she thought back on her childhood, when it'd just been her, Coran, Nanny and the mice. She shook her head. "We were alone, he was holding together what was left of the Castle at the time, raising me. I don't think I've even seen him look at anyone twice."

"And she's a Queen," Lance shook his head. "He's way to proper to think he could be with her."

"That shouldn't matter," Allura said.

Lance grinned, put his arm over Allura's shoulder and started to direct them both toward the bar. "I need another beer. It wouldn't matter to you, or me, or it would appear to Queen Flavia. But we do know it matters to Coran."

When they got to the bar, Allura sat down on the one empty stool they could find, while Lance squeezed in between the stools angled toward her, but for the moment leaning more against the bar to get another beer. Allura took the time to take a really good look at him.

Wade had taken to sending him on Special Ops missions, more often than not, so he was pulling double duty - triple duty if you counted the fact he was still a full fledge member, hell the leader of Voltron Force in the absence of Keith. He looked tired, there was bags under his eyes, and there was something off about the way he was holding himself. She'd felt it when she hugged him, he'd pulled her away from him just a bit, near his upper abdominals.

He wouldn't tell her anything unless she made it so he had no choice. She heard him charm female bartender as he ordered his beer, Allura rolled her eyes as he flirted - wondering if he even knew he did it half the time. When he finally turned back to her, those intense brown eyes totally focused back on her, she reached out and touched the part of him that she felt he was favoring. She didn't poke him, she didn't push it, but she pressed her palm against his upper left abdominals and watched him wince.

Teeth gritted, he glared at her. "Allura what the..."

"What happened?"

"It's nothing."

She glared at him.

"Allura, don't worry."

Allura glowered and looked down into her wine, watching the bubbles in it rise up and pop out of existence one after the other. She was trying to get her anger at him for not just telling her what had happened, for making her have to deduce things on her own, and force him into sharing. It used to be they knew everything about each other, a member of the team go hurt the other four were there to lift them up and pull them out of the fire and help them through the pain. It wasn't unknown, it wasn't a secret. It wasn't kept from any of them.

"Hey," Lance grabbed the stool, it was the kind that moved and moved it so it faced him, then put his hand under her chin and made her look up at him. "Don't be mad?"

"Then share."

"I got shot."

Allura paled. "In the stomach!"

"Upper abdominal, closer to my chest really, through and through laser blast, super fine laser hole, that missed anything important."

Allura glared. "Still...'

"I'm fine."

"Who shot you? Where the hell did Wade send you!" Her voice went up an octave to high and despite the noise at the bar, in the crowd, it was a lowkey gathering of Diplomats, royals, and soldiers on good behavior.

"Shh," he whispers, putting a finger to her lips. "Come on," he said, grabbing her hand, and pulling up.


	3. Chapter 3

Lance holding Allura's hand, walked them through the hallways of the fourth year pilot dormitories, as their teacher - most of the time - he was also stationed as their Overlord at least that's what he liked to call it, made it feel less serious. As he and Allura walked through, every cadet dropped, literally a time or two, what they were doing to salute. It creeped him out, he knew he was a career pilot, a soldier even but he'd never really thought he was someone to look up too, the salute too type - that was Keith, the others, not him. He kept reminding them that it was fine to be at ease with him in their dorm rooms, it was their home away from home wasn't it. Finally he reached the private elevator that led to the fifth floor, which was where his room and a few other officers rooms were located.

Letting Allura in, he frowned when he saw the state of how he'd left things. He grabbed a few books, and the paperwork he'd left lying around and quickly put them in their place, then quickly tightened up the sheets on his bed it looked like he'd made it in his sleep; which when he thought about it, he pretty much had.

"Let me see," Allura said.

Lance finished ironing out a wrinkle with his hand and turned toward Allura. "What?"

"Where you were shot, let me see?"

He rolled his eyes, grabbed her hand and pulled her over to him. "Sit," he said and sat down on the bed. She followed him down a moment later. "I am fine," he said, looking right into her eyes. Which was a dangerous place to stare, he'd learned that a long time ago. There was a bottomless pool of compassion, strength and surprises inside of the Crown Princess of Arus - even if she was just Allura to him.

"I need to see that for myself," she said and reached out and started to unsnap the buttons on his uniform.

Lance watched in a sort of morbid fascination, as her painted purple nails - he figured it was to go with the silky blue-purple strapless number she had on - kept right on popping the buttons apart. It was a bit surreal, to be sitting on his bed and having Allura undress him, he wondered if someone had spiked his beer, but then he remembered only he and Coran had touched the bottles. Coran!

By this point Allura was pushing the fabric off his shoulders, he still was wearing his undershirt at least, he thought as he grabbed her wrists. "Just what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm..." and she looked from what she was doing and then at him, and her cheeks went from usual pleasant pink blush to a bright red that could rival his Lion he thought and he grinned.

"Exactly," Lance said. "I'm fine."

"No," Allura snapped. "I've seen you shirtless, plenty of times. Working out, training, swimming, running into you in the castle kitchen in the middle of the night. I know every scar on your back and the front of your torso and I want to see for myself that this wound has been taken care of! Now," she demanded.

Lance met her eyes and he knew the look. It'd only gotten more hard over the years, her heels were dug in, this was as important to her as any of the other things she'd crossed her arms over and stomped her foot about with Coran or Nanny. Or shouted at Keith, or him about when it came to flying the Blue Lion. He sighed, the last thing he'd wanted to do was worry her, he'd threatened Pidge and Hunk with brig time if they'd told her about his time in the medical ward after the mission. Coran had only taken a simple request, some people had their priorities. He wasn't even sure how she knew he'd been injured anyway.

"How did you even know? Who the hell told?" he muttered, as he pulled off his top.

"You pulled me toward the left when you hugged me hello, you always hug me full on," Allura said.

"Seriously? That's it, how I hugged?"

Allura nodded.

Lance sighed, he knew defeat when he had to admit it and he pulled his white undershirt off. He heard her gasp, felt delicate fingers touching the still sensitive skin of where the laser bullet had hit him. "Nothing?" she muttered. "Nothing, nothing, nothing!" Each nothing getting louder.

He grabbed her hand with his right hand, and put his left index finger against her lips. "Shh, it's fine."

"Who did this?"

"An old Drule, who is working security for those space pirates. You know the kind that keep attacking technologically less advanced planets to hide out, while they plan a bigger attack on cargo ships that carry money, electronics, jewels, ect... This group, called themselves the Roid Warriors," Lance paused to roll his eyes. "They found this small inhabited moon, that you can only get to through a tricky asteroid belt, so I was sent in to pilot. They were making quite a living from that, they had a pretty damn good pilot, not as good as me though - even wounded. Alliance found out about them when they took down one a shipment of ship speciality parts from Drame on there way to the station. The Drule guard recognized me, it got a bit messy, but I'm fine."

Allura eyes went back down to the scar, Lance kept his eyes on her. He knew damn well what she was seeing. It was still a vivid pink oval the size of a quarter, he had it's twin on the other side of his body, on his back. They were healing, they still tingled at times. They'd fade in time and be another scar to add to the others."

Allura pulled her hand free and snaked it behind him, leaning over and she sighed. "Through and through, you said," she explained, as she eyed the other scar.

"Matched set."

She stood up and walked over to his desk. He had a picture there of the two of them, or it looked like it was a picture of the two of them. She picked it up, looked at it and then placed it back down. Then walked over to the one window he had in the room. She looked out and Lance stood up, walking over, grabbed the picture, pulled it from the frame and stood behind her. "You miss him," he said.

"What?" Allura asked sounding confused, but Lance figured it was just because she didn't think he'd catch on.

"Look," he said, handing her the full picture, where Keith was no longer folded up and hidden behind the frame. "I miss him too, and yeah we don't hear from him as much as we would like. But we do hear from him, we know he's in one piece and he's working things out. He's getting a lead on someone who is doing things, that he is sure is Wade, that may or may not being funded by the Alliance without them even knowing. We are going to get the Black lion back, get the keys and get Voltron back, Allura. And Keith, we'll get Keith back and we won't have to worry about him. You know, you won't have to worry about him so much."

"I," Allura looked at the picture of the three of them. "I, of course I worry about Keith, but that wasn't... I was worried about you," she turned around making Lance realize how close he'd been standing behind her. He went to step back but she grabbed his hand.

"Thank you for the pep talk, but I know our plan. Pidge just told me yesterday, he's gotten the encryption on our communiques with Keith even more impossible to decode. And yes, I hate not knowing what kind of danger Keith may be in, but I trust him to be cautious. What I'm worried about is you?"

"Me?"

"You."

"Why?"

Allura sighed. "You were shot. I should've known something was up when Pidge and Hunk were avoided looking me in the eye for a week, you were home and you were in the medical ward weren't you? Why didn't you let me know?"

"I didn't want you to worry, it was just a simple through and through."

"He keeps doing this, sending you on secret missions. He's trusting you."

"That was the plan."

"But," Allura sighed. "We wanted his trust, but not quite so much trust, I just worry about what else he might ask you to do. I don't trust that man."

"Me either. He sabotaged the lions. He wants something from the power they hold, we all agreed on that. And hey, if him trusting helps me figure out something helpful faster..."

"You're right."

"So no worries."

"Next time you are shot, I get to be there."

"To shoot me?"

"Don't tempt me, Lance!"

Lance smiled and leaned in and hugged Allura, this time not leaning to the left, or keeping her away from sensitive skin, a real full on hug. To let her know he was fine and in one piece. She wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed against his neck. He could smell her perfume, made from a sweet white Arusian flower that reminded him of the smell of strawberries, he squeezed her once and spun her around. "Come one, you know me, nothing is going to knock me down."

"Promise not to keep getting wounded from me. We've managed to convince Wade we both agree with him, so we can remain public friends. What will it hurt to allow me to know when you are wounded?"

Lance nodded. "Fine, just, seriously," he brought his thumb up to her cheek right under her right eye. "Don't cry," he wiped away a tear. "You're killing your make up."

Allura shrugged. "I don't really know, it just really bothers me, the idea of you hurt and you keeping it from me," she muttered walking across the room and into his small bathroom. Turning on the water she quickly scrubbed her face.

Lance watched and shook his head. He didn't get it either, though he'd been read the riot act by Pidge and Hunk, they'd both thought the Princess should know, she needed to know, and she'd find out and be mad. He sighed. "How's Larmina."

"She won't listen to me," Allura announced with a smile. "She wants to know when you'll be back, because I don't teach her martial arts correctly. She hates computers, science and mechanics and she refuses to even step foot near a simulator for the blue lion."

Lance shrugged. "She doesn't have to replace you, you know."

"Yes, yes she does," Allura sighed. "Father told me, when she first came to the castle, he told me she was vital to the future of Voltron, she would be the first to follow my footsteps."

"Only he was a lot more cryptic than that, because I was there. That was one weird night, I barely remember what he said, none of it made sense, plus I think he thought I was Keith."

"He knew who you were, he said Lance, Pilot of Red Lion," Allura laughed.

"He called me the Leader."

"You are our Leader."

"Now I am."

"He was talking about the future," Allura said and stuck out her tongue.

"Oh shut up, tell Larmina, I'll be there this weekend, and be ready for some hardcore training."

"Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Nah, I like to keep working."

Allura sighed. "I should go before Coran wonders where I went, if he figures out I came here," she sighed.

"Forget that, he finds out you undressed me," Lance leaned down and kissed her freshly scrubbed cheek. "Don't worry so much."

Allura kissed him back, then saw the picture of the three of them on the desk. "Hide Keith, last thing we need is you in prison for treason, for having a picture of him," she sighed.

Lance picked up the picture. "Yeah, I know," he carefully folded Keith back, tucked out of sight and put the picture back in the frame. Then placed it down on the desk.

"Now that you're back, will you take over escorting me to all the engagements I have instead of Coran?"

"Sure. Just send me an email of times to pick you up, or meet you, okay?"

"Goodnight,"

"Sweet dreams, Allura," Lance said, opening his door for her, then leaning down and whispering the keycode for the elevator to go straight down to her level of the station so she could avoid the dorms.

She leaned up on her toes and kissed his cheek one last time and then disappeared down the hall. Lance closed the door and leaned against the wall, eyes closed and felt like he had no idea what the hell had just happened.


	4. Chapter 4

Pidge looked left and right, then left again, he was at crossroads in the heart of the main Alliance station where he, Hunk and Lance were all doing their so called loyal duty to the Galaxy Alliance. He missed the good old days when it was Galaxy Garrison, when you knew who to trust, when they trusted Voltron, when your own superiors didn't turn out to be your enemies. In some ways he missed Zarkon and Lotor, there was something much more satisfying about having an enemy that was in your face than one that hid under the same uniform. Finding himself alone, he went straight across the hall to the passage straight in front of him. He was at the door he needed, he armed his Voltcom an invention of his that the team had just started to become adept at using when using them had become something they had keep secret. He used it to decode the lock on the door, then he moved inside the small room. It was a room of hard drives and computer ports and wires. Everything that went through the station, siphoned through this room, even the most highly classified intelligence. Lance had suggested that the team definitely needed to know what was in all those reports, Hunk, Allura and Pidge hadn't argued. Especially if anything in them could help out Keith bring down Wade, find Black Lion and help them figure out where Wade had the other four keys.

Pidge went to work and only hoped that he had his tracks covered for having the information going to his quarters, they really needed a bigger computer, a place where they could work and meet. He'd call it the Den - cause really that'd just be cool. He'd always wanted a secret hide out, he wondered if Lance could somehow commandeer a room for them to suit the purposes. He'd have to ask.

Allura watched in amusement as Pidge's head started to drift down towards his plate of tuna fish salad for the fifth time in a manner of ten minutes. Hunk slammed him on his back again.

"Maybe I should order you, your own pot of coffee," Allura asked.

"I was just up late, and had to get up early," Pidge explained yawning and he took off his glasses to rub his eyes. "I'll wake up eventually, we need a Den."

"A Den?" Allura said.

Hunk started laughing. "Isn't that what you told me you and Chip always wanted to call the nonexistent tree house of yours?"

Pidge nodded. "Yeah, but it also is good for us, the Voltron Force should have a secret Den, we need a place where Hunk and I can build a big computer, for all the encryption I need to do, and copying of intelligence files that way above our clearance levels."

"Oh, hey," Hunk interrupted. "Speaking of clearance levels, I heard that Diplomatic clearance afforded you to save Lance's hide yesterday."

Allura shook her head. "I saved his cadet, Wade was showing him off anyway, like he's some shiny toy, it was disgusting. If Wade hadn't forced him to train so close to the station it wouldn't have been an issue."

Hunk punched the table, making Pidge and Allura grab their drinks so they wouldn't spill. "I hate that guy."

Allura felt it was necessary to change the subject of conversation, or they might attract too much attention, Pidge might have a point on them needing a secret place to meet up while they were all at the Alliance Station, if was much easier when the boys were able to make it Arus on their time off. Since they all taught at the Academy they tended to have weekends off, which was a lucky break, she realized. Unless Wade decided he needed Lance for something secret... she frowned but decided to dwell, that wouldn't change the subject and she needed to calm Hunk down, and keep Pidge awake. Reaching over she touched Pidge's arm to save him from face planting in his salad.

"Thanks Princess."

"So, the Queen of one of the new planets joining the Alliance, from Eirian Quadrant, Paxial, Queen Flavia, she's interested in Coran," Allura said.

Hunk spewed out his root beer out of his nose and Pidge choked on his tomato. Allura felt a little guilty for saying it when they both had their mouths full, but after they both stopped coughing it kept them all laughing and talking until it was time for them both to head back to work.

Allura gave the waitress her card, paying for the lunch and the dessert she'd ordered to enjoy on her own after they'd left. She had a few hours to kill before she had to get ready for the nights Ball. She never looked forward to Balls. Prince's and widowed Kings were always asking her to dance, and stating their political cases for marriage, along with their sexual needs. It never failed to repulse her to realize that most men looked at her and saw some pretty doll they wanted to play with. It reminded her of Lotor wanting to possess her. She was just a good political move and a pretty body to them. She was happy that Lance would be there tonight, he'd dance with her, every dance if she asked, he would help her deflect Coran wanting her to consider the offers. Coran and Nanny were both making more and more noises about how she should soon consider a marriage to help strengthen Arus.

She hated it. Arus was strong with her as its leader. It didn't need her to pick some King she wouldn't or couldn't love. Besides what men could live up the high expectations of the men she already knew. Keith's honor and authority, Lance's passion and determination, Hunk's soft-heart and Pidge's ingenuity. She knew the best of the best. It was hard not to compare others to them and find them lacking.

She walked out of the restaurant, and saw a small jewelry kiosk, decided that she did need a new bracelet, nothing fancy to wear with the dress she'd chosen for the Ball, it was sleeveless but it closed around her throat, so she couldn't wear one of her necklaces. She browsed idly through the silver for a few minutes, not really finding anything that appeared her, trying to remember what she had packed with her, when there was a camera flash. She looked toward it and a microphone was in her face.

"Hello, Princess Allura, Finley Granger, WASP Television. How have you been finding the Induction and Peace Festival Week, are looking forward to the big carnival fireworks display at the end of the week?"

Allura wanted to throttle the young reporter for her entitlement, but there were cameras rolling, more flashes going off and there was nothing she could do now but be polite. "I am."

"So what will you be wearing tonight?"

"Just a dress that my seamstress made."

'Really? Does your seamstress make all your dresses?"

"Yes," Allura.

Suddenly there was a picture of her of and Lance, arm and arm, from sometime last night. It was a rather striking photograph, the backdrop of a starlit sky and the crescent moon behind them, Lance in his Alliance uniform and Allura in pretty strapless deep blue almost purple silk cocktail dress.

"She made this?"

"Yes, she did. It's Arusian silk," Allura offered her.

"Commander Larkin looks handsome, will he be attending you to the ball tonight? Will he be in his dress uniform or a tuxedo?"

"He will be escorting and I honestly don't know,' Alurra said.

"Will you be in a similar color?"

"No, my dress tonight is pale green," she explained.

"One more question, The planet of Xios one of the new Inductees, has been quite outspoken that their Prince needs to find a bride. Prince Seth has been said to say you are the first Princess he plans to ask to dance."

"That's sweet of him,' Allura said.

"He's also been quoted as saying, he was relieved when Voltron was put out of commission because he felt unknown technology should never be trifled with, much like Sky Marshall Wade. Voltron is from your home of Arus, yet you have remained friendly with the Alliance and most of the Force as well - except he who I will not name. So, that won't be a problem for you will it?"

Allura gripped the strap of the purse, it was the only place she could put her anger, of course it was a problem she thought. It was downright insulting and offensive. "It is ancient technology, I believe it lasted as long as it was needed, and now we are protecting the universe in a new way. Sometimes things just change. If you would excuse me, I really need to return to the station."

"Of course. Thank you, Princess Allura..."

Allura walked away, half listening to the young reporting finishing up her impromptu interview of gossip and nothing. Her shoes hitting the floor under her harder and harder as her gait sped up, she was angry, very angry. Her fist clenched and she wished she was home, she wished she had the key to her Blue Lion. She'd fly out, she'd practice hitting targets and she'd pictured every annoying hated face she could in the dead center.

Before she knew it, she found herself in back of Lance's fourth year cadet schoolroom class. He was in the front of the classroom, explaining a how a standard flight formation maneuvers into hardline battle formation. He turned from pointing at the computer screen in front of the class and saw her and she grinned sheepishly from the wall.

"Okay, go get into your flight gear, we're up in less than thirty minutes. We're drilling both formations. All of your were sloppy this morning on the standard,' he walked down the middle aisle. Cadets who saw her, slowed there pace somewhat until they saw him coming, then they fled.

"I need to fly," Allura said.

"You need to fly," he repeated.

"Yeah, television reported just really pissed me off and made me have to say I was fine that Voltron was out of commission."

"Fly you will, come on and help me show these kids how it's done, you'll like the Rogue, it's not as maneuverable as the Inferno but she's fast her firing lasers are precise like Blue," he put his hand on her lower back and guided her toward the flight deck, with a quick head nod toward the girls locker room. "Girls will help you find a flight suit."


	5. Chapter 5

Lance liked teaching, he really did. Training people to reach their potential ability as pilot, martial arts, hand to hand combat, it was fun to him. He'd realized it on Arus whenever he'd been placed in front of Allura when she was in training, as they tried to help her catch up to them. When Allura's Aunt Elena and her husband had died in one of the last attacked on the planet and Larmina had come to the Castle, a feisty seven year old Hunk and come to him with the plan to help her deal with her anger through martial arts. It'd turned out to be the right move. Only issue now was, they had had thirteen year old ninja now at the Castle of Lions, but he'd loved teaching her from square one. So when he, Pidge and Hunk, had all been assigned to the Academy he'd been thrilled.

What he wasn't thrilled about though was the damn paperwork. He was in his office now, with sheaves of it in front of him. And he had more than usual, because he'd been gone for so long on his last special ops assignment - something he'd never expected to happen, yet it was the third one Wade had sent him on. He could only expect more to come, they were nine months into their plan to get Voltron back, and really not that much closer to finding anything on Wade, where Black lion was, or the keys to the other Lions.

Lance pinched his nose with his fingers, he had to focus on the paperwork. He had the tests Thrace had given to go offer, Cadet flight reports to read, he had to see how far back Thrace had set them, by going by the Academy curriculum. She'd never been in battle, she didn't teach them how to fly in combat, she taught them how to fly from what a book said - the way she'd been taught. He picked up the test in front of him, looked at the name and went through the piles he had in front of him and found all the pages with the cadet's name on it, then found his flight reports for the past two days on him.

"Ah, my spinner," he said with a wry shake of his head, mentally thanking God that Allura had saved the kids ass, and his for the millionth time. Sure it was Wade's idiocy that had put them to close to the station but he probably should have gone easier on the kids because of it. Lance shook his head, laughing at himself, as if he could. It just wasn't in his nature, it was full throttle or nothing at all.

He pulled out the notebook where he kept all his data on the kids, found the name and looked at the tests Thrace had given, her flight reports on the Cadet. He was passing. Just passing, he frowned. He looked his flight report on the cadet from the day he'd spun out. Tired, distracted, acted like he'd forgotten what a cockpit looked like. He looked at today's, better, held his own against a full on assault against both and me Allura for almost a two minutes - progress but he should be doing better. He looked at the data from before he left, targeting 95%, assault offense 80%, assault defense 90%, one of the top of the class, lacks leadership skills however. Lance frowned and went through two more names, same thing, major drop in skills from when he left and Thrace was filling in. It was too much, he had to do something about her.

Great, I actually care about this damn job, Lance thought, standing up and stretching out his back and looking at the time. He had less than hour before he should head back to his room to get ready for the Ball, and pick up Allura. He walked out of his office, and saw Hunk working on one of the Rogues. "Hey, have seen Thrace?"

"She's teaching her second year simulator class."

Lance nodded and walked into the classroom, saw an empty simulator and hopped in. Third years, which is where he got the kids, he found he got way under educated in the ways of flying. He dialed himself into the simulation and watched for as long as he could stand the lazy formations and fight sequences Thrace was having them go through. Using a trick Pidge taught him, he patched through to listen to what the kids were saying to each other, they were all bored to death. He hit a few buttons and entered the situation firing on Thrace herself.

Thrace nearly lost control of the simulator, which disgusted Lance, then her voice was in his ear. "Who did that, what have I told you kids about breaking formation?"

"Lieutenant, I did that," Lance said, firing at her again then maneuvering out of her line of fire.

She fired at him and missed by a mile. "Commander, I, don't is this a review?"

"No, I just need to have a little conversation with you after your class," he said, and then he fired the simulator Rogue's torpedoes and her simulator blew up. "You should work on a few of your own skills, Thrace," he said.

"I..." she sputtered, as her classroom broke into laughter.

Lance hopped out. Maybe he shouldn't have done that, but the woman was slacking off as far as he was concerned and making the students slack off. It wasn't going to create good soldiers and the peace they were enjoying wasn't going to last. The only people who didn't know that was Sky Marshall Wade and his followers.

He walked over to Hunk. "I'm going to be at the Ball all night, Allura wants me to deflect Princes, you and Pidge going to keep working on the intel reports?"

Hunk nodded. "Pidge got us started last night, were going to see if we can get into his room - but he thinks it'd be better if we could have room with a larger computer system, one he could add too, fiddle with. It'd be safer, think you could pull that off somehow?"

Lance shrugged. "I have no idea, tell him to write down what he needs computer wise, okay."

"Okay,"

"But just do what we planned already, alright."

"Sure thing, Commander," Hunk said, with a salute.

Lance stared at him, until he saw Hunk slightly point with his chin over his left shoulder.

Erica Thrace was stomping over toward them with scowl on her face. Lance rolled his eyes. "I have to go, now," he said and hurried off.

...

On his way to his room, his mind empty of flying, cadet names and statistics about their progress Lance started to think about Allura. He'd spent a good part the night before staring at his ceiling, granting him only two hours of sleep before his early wake up, trying to figure out what had happened the night before. Allura had just seemed different, they had felt different.

It wasn't bad, different, he knew he hadn't minded all that worry focused on him. He'd really thought she'd just been projecting Keith worry onto him but when he'd tried to call her out on it, her reaction had be one that did say she'd sincerely been worried about him. Just him, Lance.

Sure he and Allura were close, they always were, she liked that he joked with her the most. That he would call her Allura and not princess. He could talk to her, she talked to him. He'd listened to more rants about Keith than he thought he could take sometimes, but it was worth if he could make her smile afterwards and give her a little hope about Keith just being a big blockhead.

Keith. He'd been in that room last night, nagging in the back of Lance's head, 'she's mine,' his voice had said, which was ridiculous because Keith would never suppose to possess Allura. But Allura and Keith had...well he wasn't sure what, he knew something happened before Keith left, that they were both freaked out about it and avoiding each other. He'd told Keith to talk to her before taking off, Allura never let on if Keith had or hadn't.

Lance had felt like something had shifted between him and Allura last night, he'd even felt it little bit when she'd shown up in his classroom, looking angry and in need of letting off steam. He'd been able to avoid her by teaching, and it'd been great to have another ace pilot with him during the drills. The question was what had shifted? Was it just him that felt it? Or was it just Allura being Allura, compassionate and sweet, and him being well him - a guy.

He'd made it his room, he dropped the paperwork he'd try to work on after the Ball - sleep was overrated anyway - he glanced at the time. He didn't have much time, not if he was going to pick Allura up in thirty minutes. Lance pulled his dress uniform out of his closet, pulled it out of the plastic keeping it safe from dust, checked the various medals, most earned during his years on Arus; a third of them Arusian Valor honors for Saving the Princess - Coran always insisted, it was what was right; he refused to understand she was part of the team. He made sure the white fabric was clean and wrinkle free. It was in good enough shape, he hung it back in the closet and turned to take his shower, trying not to think about how the night before how he'd let Allura get under his skin.

...

Allura clasped the silver bracelet with tiny blue flowers on it that Lance had once given her as present around her wrist. She'd forgotten it was in the jewelry box she'd packed for the tripped. It didn't necessarily go with the green dress she was wearing, but it was simple enough bracelet. She wondered if Lance even remembered giving it to her, she had always loved it because the flowers were the exact shade of blue as the her lion. Putting it on, she thought that in a way when she let Sky Marshall Wade kiss her hand tonight, that she'd be rubbing Voltron in his face - in a way only she would get but it'd give her pleasure anyway.

Her door chimed and she rose from where she was sitting, and wobbled a bit on her feet; fleetingly she wondered if she should change her shoes, but she loved the high heeled pale green shoes she had on, they worked with her dress perfectly and also were high enough to stop her from tripping on it's length. She walked over to the door, evenly and without incident. There, she thought, no worries. She opened the door and was disappointed to see Coran.

"Princess, I just wanted to stop by and give you this list. These are the Princes that I believe are the best fit you and Arus," he held a piece of paper for her.

She swallowed her sigh but made no move to take the piece of paper. "Coran, I have no intention of speaking to any of the princes at the ball tonight."

Coran's eyes widened. "Then what is the point of you going?"

"I am representing Arus as her Princess this week, I am taking part in the peace treaty talks, I will be meeting and mingling with more than just princes. I misspoke. I will meet them, I will speak with them, as I will other envoys and representatives of their planets, but I will not be dancing or taking any political or romantic interest in any princes. Lance will be my escort and the only man I will be dancing with."

"While Lance, especially in the last few months has shown he is a great young man with a lot of potential..."

"What do you mean in the few months, he's always been a great young man with a lot of potential," Allura snapped. "And I know what you are leading up too. He isn't what is right for woman of my station, what if I don't agree?"

"Now Princess, you are a Crown Princess of a very influential planet with or with Voltron at your disposal..."

"Yes, you really think some Prince from some random planet is really going to engage me, or be more of a man of honor than one of the Voltron Force. Pidge at nineteen is more of a man than most spoiled princes I've had the honor of meeting, Coran."

"I do not deny, that you have had some unfortunate meetings, Princess..."

"Coran, it's not going to happen."

"What's not going to happen?" Lance asked, walking inside, as the door was still open.

"Coran has a list, of Princes, I'm not taking it," Allura explained, turning toward Lance and smiling as she took him in. She'd never seen any of them in their dress uniforms before, they'd always been so casual on Arus. She took in the cut of the uniform and how it fit over Lance's body; showing off his long legs and his broad shoulders to great appeal. She felt heat rise to her cheeks but refused to feel shy about it, so she found him attractive, he was attractive. "You look handsome," she said leaning up and kissing his cheek.

"And you look beautiful," he said, taking her hand and holding it in a way that led her to spin around to show off the dress. "Nice back," he whistled.

"Commander," Coran chastised.

Allura blushed but took the compliment, "Qianna, told me I have such a nice back why not make the Ball gown backless and sleeveless, since it has to be so long. That way I won't feel so stifled. I am so tired of the poufy princess look."

"It works," Lance said, ignoring Coran since she did, Allura noticed.

"Coran, we have to go or we'll be late," Allura said, taking Lance's arm.

"Allura the list?"

She glared at him.

Lance reached out and grabbed it.

"Thank you, Commander," Coran said and left Allura's room also but went in the opposite direction.

"Why did you do that?" Allura asked, glaring at the list in his hand, hating everything it stood for.

"So, I could shut him up and do this?" Lance said, crumbling the list into paper ball into his hand, then shoving it into his pocket. "So, Allura, are you ready to dance?"

Allura grinned up at him and felt a bit dizzy in that happy way she got sometimes when she was really looking forward to something. "I can't wait," she said.


	6. Chapter 6

Allura felt a wave of heat roll through her, it settled in her cheeks, neck and butterflies formed in her stomach, all because she stumbled a bit on her five inch heels causing Lance to have to catch her. His hands grabbed her at her hips, solid, strong, the fabric was soft, thin, she could feel his callous through it and the heat of his skin.

"Are you okay?" Lance asked, turned her to face him, stopping their attempt to walk through a crowd of people to go up the open bar, that was offering drinks and small finger foods.

Allura felt her blush deepen, she felt suddenly foolish and embarrassed. "It's my shoes," she admitted. It made her feel like she was sixteen again, full of dreams and innocent romance. Thinking that flying the Blue Lion was as much a romantic ideal as it was her duty to her people. She hadn't yet fully felt the true weight of what duty meant.

Lance looked down, her dress hid most of the shoes, expect for her painted pink toes at the bottom. He lifted the front of the skirt a bit, eyes widening a bit when he saw the heels. "You expect to dance in those?"

"I can and I will, someone just knocked into me accidentally, I'll get used to it."

Lance grinned. "Suit yourself, Allura." Instead of taking her arm this time, though, he wrapped an arm more possessively around her waist, making Allura's stomach butterflies fly in circles.

She breathed out through her nose as lightly as she could, and wondered at what was wrong with her. It was just Lance. Silly, crazy, will make a fool of himself just to make you laugh Lance. Just Lance. They'd reached the bar, and waited their turn.

"What do you want?" Lance asked.

Allura looked over the small menu they had attached to the table, with little holographic pictures of the food or drink attached. "Oh, the strawberry wine and the chocolate mousse cookie."

His right hand still on her lower back, his left tapping on the bar in front him as he waited for the woman behind the bar to finish with the large party who were before them. Allura found herself staring at his profile out of the corner of her eye. He'd combed his the way he always did but had tamed it with some product so it appeared tamed instead of tousled like it usually did. Some chestnut brown locks were still falling over his eyes. Hazel eyes, amber-gold with flecks of green that Allura noticed were more prominent than usual, it must be the dress uniform, she thought. His nose stood straight out, she noticed, something odd she thought for a soldier of his experience, she knew Keith and Hunk's were both crooked from breaks from more than one source of combat. His lips full, the bottom lip fuller than the top, maybe they were a little chapped yet they looked soft all the same. Allura knew what he looked like, she turned away as the woman walked up to them, wondering why on earth she was taking stock of it now.

What was different about now?

"Hello, Beautiful!"

Allura was broken out of her thoughts, by Lance voice and the removal of his hand on her back. He was now leaning forward flirting with the woman behind the bar as he ordered, her wine, cookie, his beer and a mustard covered pretzel. The woman behind the bar came back with their order blushing, beaming and grabbed his arm before they left to hand over a napkin with something hastily scrawled on it.

Allura watched Lance take it, with a slight blush on his own cheeks and shove it into the same pocket he'd put Coran's crumbled list of Princes. "What is that?" she asked him.

"Her number, probably, I didn't look."

Allura frowned and looked back over the woman behind the bar. "So, that's what they always meant about women handing you and Keith their numbers in bars isn't it?"

Lance nodded and pulled a chair out for Allura at the table set aside for the Princesss of Arus and guest. Slipping into the chair, Allura realized she was still scowling and she tried to relax her expression into something more neutral.

"Don't worry, Keith never called the ones that he didn't ask for, and he never ask for any after we swore our oath to protect Arus."

Allura looked up, "What?"

Lance stared at her. "I was saying..."

"Are you going to call her?"

"No," Lance said. "I didn't realize I was flirting, was I flirting? Pidge claims I get more numbers when I think I'm not flirting than when I'm trying," Lance said, sliding into his own chair and then pulling it closer to where Allura was sitting, so they were side by side, rather than across the tiny round table from each other.

"I was thinking last night if you even knew you were flirting with the bartender there. And yes, you were flirting just now."

Lance bit into his mustard covered pretzel and shrugged.

Allura had to laugh at him, his face was priceless, he'd rolled his eyes, taken such a huge bite that she was afraid he'd get mustard on his uniform, and she knew just what he was thinking. Old habits die hard.

"So how often do you purposely flirt these days?" Allura asked, sipping her wine trying to tell herself she didn't want him to say, 'not at all'.

"Not much,"

"Oh!" Allura said, wondering at how she dared to feel happy about that. What was wrong with her? This was Lance and she didn't feel butterflies, or possessive or upset at him looking at other women.

"When do I have time?" he laughed, then he leaned closer to and whispered in ear. Sharing a secret, like they always used to on Arus. It was just something they did, it was their thing. Maybe it upset the others a little bit she never shared a secret in their ears, but she couldn't talk to them like she did to Lance. "Honestly, I'm getting bored with the empty flirting thing, but don't tell anyone I have a reputation to maintain."

His voice low and husky in her ear sent a shiver down her spine, the words did too, and Allura picked up her cookie and took a bite to try to cover her reaction. She nodded. "I'm glad to hear it," she said, and leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "I've always thought you would make an amazing one woman man."

Lance was blushing a deep pink when Allura pulled back and she couldn't help but like it. She smiled and took another sip of her wine, and started to look out at the crowd. More and more people were arriving, soon everyone would be asked to their tables, then they'd all be formally introduced and asked to go to the dance floor. It was highly formal and old fashioned, but it was one of the things that happened on weeks like this. She nudged Lance with her elbow, once she knew his beer and pretzel were safely on the table again. "Thank you, for putting up with all this formality."

"Anything for you, plus I haven't seen you in over a month, and before that it was only a weekend here and there. I'll have to make sure to get home to Arus more often. I miss you"

"I missed you too," Allura answered and before she realized she done it, her hand was holding his on the table.

She looked down their joined hands and was about to look up at Lance, when his other hand came up and touched the bracelet. "You wore this old thing? I bought it at some old flea market, Allura. I mean you probably had tons of real jewels you could've worn tonight. It's probably not even real silver."

She did look up then and met his eyes. "I always loved it, I saw it in my jewelry box and decided it'd be perfect for tonight."

Lance shook his head but kept eye contact, and squeezed her hand in his.

A throat cleared before them, they both looked up to see that Sky Marshall Wade stood before them, with a young man, who stood at least six feet six tall with short blonde hair and odd-shaped perfectly round orange eyes; his skin was very pale and he looked liked he'd swallowed a lemon as he looked down upon them.

Lance stood up and saluted Wade, then pulled Allura's chair out for her and she curtsied a polite and quiet hello. Then Wade kissed her hand then other man presented himself.

"I am Prince Seth of Xios, Princess Allura is a great pleasure to meet you. I was hoping you would give me the pleasure of a dance and an audience with you?"

Allura stood to her full height, which on five inch heels was for once actually a bit imposing, not that she needed the help. She called upon her inner strength and her inner well of intuition that told her she knew what was best for herself and her planet. "While I am flattered by your requests, I have to deny them. I've given myself wholly over to my escort of the evening. He's just returned from a mission, we have a lot time to catch up on. As for the audience you request, I have to inform you that anything you may have heard about myself looking for a marriage has been misinformation."

Prince Seth stepped back, his round eyes turned to slits but then he opened them and stepped forward again. "I beg you to reconsider, after spending some time with me, you'll find I'm much better and more respectable company than a mere pilot, Your Highness."

Allura had force her eyes to not roll into the back of her head, there went the hope Prince Seth of Xios might not be an annoying spoiled, snobbish brute of a Prince like all the others she'd met. If he'd accepted her denial of his requests with some sense of honor, she may have reconsidered. "I am sorry," she turned to Wade. "Sky Marshall Wade, is there anything I do to help you?"

"I came here to talk this young man up, Princess Allura. He's a sharp young strategist, there have been some civil unrest on Xios and he's handled it admirably. I think Arus would do well to align itself with Xios. Perhaps Lance can explain what I mean?"

"No, I don't think I can, Sir. With all due respect, of course."

Allura bit the inside of her cheek, sometimes she wondered just how it was Lance had created such a favorite spot with Wade, he talked back to him as much as he ever talked back to Keith but without the sense of friendship behind it.

"Why is that, Commander?"

"For one, I don't know what strategies he implemented and what caused the civil unrest, and two I haven't spoken one word with him. And three my loyalty is to Princess Allura and Arus, sir. We've spoken of this before."

"Ah yes. Your oath to Arus and your and Tech Sargent Hunk McFadden's current plans to have dual citizenship with Earth and Arus."

"Paperwork is currently underway, sir."

"This talking is pointless," Prince Seth said and he grabbed Allura by her forearm. "I will change your mind in just a moment," he said trying to drag her way.

Allura tried use her training to hold her ground, her muscle memory kicked in, her hands went to the right places to throw him off but her heels threw her all off and she ended up slipping after him. "Let me go!"

Wade stepped back, watching with wide eyes that looked part horrified and part intrigued, making Allura hate him all the more. She felt the heat of Lance beside her before she could see him, then he past her and his hand on was the Prince's shoulder. Didn't matter that he towered over Lance by at least seven or more inches. Lance was standing straight and toe to toe.

"Let her go, or fall on your ass...Your Highness," Lance said, sardonically.

"You dare to talk to me that way?" Prince Seth said, looking down at Lance, not letting go of Allura, though he'd stopped moving.

"I suggest you do," Lance said. "It'd be easier."

"On you maybe. This will take a moment, she and I will talk at my table, over there,"

Allura was trying to push her nails into him, to get him to let her go, but his suit's fabric was too thick and she wasn't getting anywhere and she completely cursing herself up in her head about wearing such ridiculous stupid shoes. "Forcing me to your table is only succeeding in making me dislike you," Allura said, wishing she could say the full truth of how his actions and his words were making her out right despise him.

"Last chance," Lance said, squeezing Prince Seth's shoulder.

Prince Seth eyes slit again and he let go of Allura so quickly there was nothing to stop her from falling to the floor. Lance dove down and forward and try to stop her but was too late.

"Damn it, Allura, are you okay?" Lance asked, helping her up.

Allura just glared over his shoulder. "I hate my shoes," she snapped.

Lance laughed and turned around.

"What is it you think you can do to me pilot?" Prince Seth asked with extreme arrogance.

Lance shook his head and stepped forward. "We can just leave it as it is, you let her go. Not very gentlemanly, but no reason to keep making scene. We'll all just go back to our corners. Okay?"

Allura nodded behind him. "That will be for the best," she agreed.

Only when Lance turned around, Prince Seth grabbed him by his left shoulder spun back around and punched him right in the face, sending straggling back and though he didn't fall down he almost fell into Allura.

She moved, watched Lance get his balance and attack Prince Seth. She started to lift up her foot, with intention of taking off her shoes but it was over rather quickly. Lance hit him a few times, deflected all the rest of Prince Seth's attempts to hit him, then was able to flip the prince onto his back knocking the air and the fight out of him.

"Your strong, your outfit seems to made of body armor - wonder why that is?" Lance said as he leaned over the guy. "But you have no finesse. Welcome to the Alliance, however if I see you near the Crown Princess of Arus against her will again I will take action."

Allura noticed his entire speech sounded a bit off, he was bleeding rather profusely from his face. She grabbed the thick napkins off their table and ran back up to him. "Here, we should go to the medbay."

Lance took the napkins and pressed them against his nose and winced. "So, much for never getting a broken nose."

Allura started laughing.

"What's so funny."

"I was just noticing that," she explained leading him past Sky Marshall Wade, who gave her a slight bow, before calling out to Lance. "Lieutenant, my office tomorrow, 1000."

"Yes, sir."

"He isn't going to reprimand you is he?"

"Yes and no. It won't be official. I think he has a special interest in Prince Seth there, so he'll probably want me to apologize or something. I'll draw the line at trying to talk you into anything though, I promise."

"But you will, apologize to that buffoon?"

Lance nodded as Allura walked them into the medbay. "Hello, we have a broken nose?"

A doctor appeared, had Lance sit on an exam table, took away the napkins and touched Lance's nose made him wince and swear a few times. "Yep, you are right, Miss, he has a broken nose, wait here."

Lance sat back and shook his head. "Hunk is going to have a field day with me."

Allura felt guilty. "I shouldn't have worn these shoes, I could have gotten free on my own then."

"He would have pushed things anyway, I would have ended up in a fight with him anyway. He's just one of those types."

Allura sat down next to Lance on the exam table and took his hand into hers. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault, Allura."

"Isn't it? If I wasn't who I am, there wouldn't be pompous princes always thinking they could just make me like them. And I got all girly and picked the pretty shoes instead of something more sensible, and I should know better."

"Allura, you were dressing for a Ball, and its not like we have to be on call twenty-four-seven right now. You're allowed to want to feel pretty and like the pretty shoes," he pulled up on her skirt a bit. "Plus, those are hot feet, sexy ankles, you should wear them someday with a shorter skirt. Maybe some short shorts."

Allura blushed and leaned into him. "You're being too nice."

"Those Xiosians are strong though, and I think he was wearing body armor, I'm serious. I'm going to have Pidge look into those so called Civil Wars Wade mentioned," Lance dug into his pants.

"What are you doing."

"Making sure that idiot wasn't on Coran's list, because if he was Coran and I are having a long talk about what kind of man is right for you because douches like...Hah, I should've had more faith."

Allura felt her heart pounding, he was sitting there, blood crusting on his face, bruises forming under his eyes, probably in pain that he was ignoring, taking charge of a possible issue, thinking about her safety and something about it all made him seem more handsome than ever. He was holding the crumble list out to her.

"Allura? Are you listening, look?"

She took the list and looked. There were four names and then at the bottom Coran had written in red. "At all costs Princess, stay away from Prince Seth of Xios, I am quite unsure how Xios even gained entry into the Alliance."

"Huh," Allura.

"I'm going to have to talk to him about that. He should tell me these things, instead of making me have to ask all the damn time," Lance muttered scratching his head.

The doctor came back in and stared at Allura. "Miss, I understand you want to stay with your boyfriend but you can't be on the table."

"La...H-He,"

"S-She, uh, A-al,"

"Off the table," the doctor said not letting either them finish what they were trying to stutter out.

Allura jumped off the table and went to stand against the wall so she could keep on eye on the doctor.

The doctor brought up computers and did scans, finally gave Lance a shot for pain and one to numb him up. "This will probably feel weird," the doctor said as she pressed in and rest things. "You're nose won't set back the way it was, they never do, no matter what advances we make in science. But it looks like it won't be too bad of turn, just a bit of curve to the left," the doctor explained as she put a small bandage on the bridge of his nose.

"Just a bit of a curve to the left, jump to the right and then hop to the right..." Lance sing-songed.

Allura stood up. "What did you give him?"

"In some cases the combination of the numbing agent and the shot for the pain can make a patient a bit loopy."

"Allura, beautiful princess of pink and blue, she can kick your ass you know," he said looking at the doctor. "That'd be hot."

The doctor raised her eyebrows at Allura. "You best get him home."

Allura blushed, but she wasn't really sure why she was blushing. "Come on, Lance," she said, putting his arm over her shoulder, he looked ready to pass out.

"Damn I feel out of it, did I say something about a threesome back there?"

Allura burst out laughing, even as she knew her face turned red, because it was just too Lance, it was hysterical and it was perfect. And as odd as she knew it to be she felt suddenly better, even though her stomach was still full of butterflies at being so close to him and she knew there was no way she could get all the way to his own room, so she was going to take him back to own.


	7. Chapter 7

_Notes: Everyone thank you for the reviews, they are always nice to see, glad to see people enjoying the pairing and the story. I'm actually trying to toss some plot into this thing, I don't write plot often, so bear with me on it. It's an experiment. Also this chapter there is some Keith/Lance innuendo, I'm a slash girl at heart it's not allude to it now and again. However this story is still Allura/Lance._

_..._

Lance woke up with his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth, he mad a face as he swallowed and felt like something had curled up and died in there. He got off of the bed and walked toward his bathroom, only to walk into wall. He forced his eyes to open fully, and looked around room. A door was open, letting in light from adjoining room. He had one room, with a bathroom, no adjoining rooms? As his eyes adjusted to the light more, he saw the blue dress and the green dress he'd seen Allura in the past two nights hanging outside the closet in clear plastic bags and he frowned. "Allura's room?" he muttered, running a hand over his face. He shook his head, saw another door and walked through it, grabbed the tube of toothpaste and brushed his teeth with a finger.

Then he walked out into the main suite, and saw Allura wearing pink pajama bottoms and a simple white top. She had her hair down from the intricate style she'd twisted it in for the ball and was on the couch reading a book. He cleared his throat. "Uh, hey? What they hell did they give me? What time is it?"

Allura put her book down on the cushion next to her and smiled. "It's only about nine, you had some weird reaction to the pain medication and the numbing agent."

"Oh," Lance felt his face flush. "That's happened before, uh, I didn't say anything bad did I? Embarrassing?

"Like?" Allura asked, smiling way too widely.

Lance cringed. "It's just.. oh man, last time this happened I hit on Keith."

Allura's mouth opened in shock, her mouth rose to her face and then she started to laugh hysterically. "You. Didn't," she managed to get out, between laughter, doubled over.

Lance groaned but he ended up laughing a bit as he joined her on the couch. "Well, yeah, you know he has all that damn hair, and he had my arm around his waist, his arm around my shoulders, my face was in his hair - and he uses that girly smelling shampoo, and he has those high cheekbones and wide eyes. What is a man made mad from a medication reaction supposed to think when he can't really see straight from a concussion."

"You really thought out that rationalization," Allura giggled.

Lance groaned and leaned back on the couch. "What did I do?"

"Nothing that extreme. You just suggested that if I beat up the doctor it'd be hot, and then you asked me a few seconds later if you had mentioned a threesome."

"Please tell me the the doctor was a woman?"

"Well..." Allura hedged.

"Allura!"

"She was a woman," Allura clutched her stomach. "My sides hurt. I missed how much you make me laugh."

Lance slung his arm over her shoulders and pulled her against him. "Happy to be the subject of so much mirth." He looked down and saw he was only in his undershirt and dress pants. "Allura, you've been undressing me again."

"It does seem to be becoming a habit. Maybe you should stop getting hurt," Allura said, playfully taking his free hand in her right hand. "You know, before Prince Seth ruined our night I was having a lot of fun."

Lance stared at their hands, there they were again, fingers laced together his rougher skin against her soft skin - he wondered how she kept it that way. She flew everyday on Arus, she practiced her combat skills as often as she could. Allura was not some shrinking violet frilly girl princess. She was a woman of action, yet her hands were as soft as they day they met her. And holding her hand felt right, and natural. It made his heart rate speed up in away he didn't know it could. It was a new kind of adrenaline rush.

"Me too," he said.

...

Pidge clicked a few more buttons on his keyboard. "Okay Hunk, connect the wires."

Hunk who somehow had gotten himself burrowed on the floor between Pidge's large computer desk and his bed, grunted, then grunted a few more times before giving Pidge a thumbs up sign with his hand.

Pidge shook his head. "We need a Den, or at least a bigger room, something underground, or something. This is only going to work temporarily, for what we want long term it's not going to last," he said, all the while typing away at the key board.

Hunk got himself out from in between and sat up on his hunches. "We aren't going to be stuck here too long are we?"

"We're going on a year now? We're no closer than we were the day the lions went crazy on us - though if they'd just allowed us to look at them. Saying that we were too close," Pidge hit the keys harder.

"Calm down, Little Buddy, it'll be okay. Keith will find something, and so will Lance. Between the two of them something is going to get done."

Pidge nodded. "Lance is getting more and more comfortable in his skin as a Commander."

Hunk nodded.

"I wonder what that will mean for when..." Pidge was cut off by a computer voice saying. "Incoming message. Encrypted."

Pidge moved his fingers to a different keyboard and brought up another screen, Hunk leaned over his shoulder. "Is it Keith, what is it?"

"Of course it's Keith, he's the only one who'd send me anything encrypted," Pidge muttered, running through the manual encryption program, no way he was making it automated, too dangerous. "Oh no,"

Hunk seeing the code become words on the screen, nearly punched Pidge when he lifted up his hands and hit the air in frustration. "No, what the hell do we do now!"

"Try to get to Lance before he's given the assignment," Pidge said, "Come on, he's probably still at the Ball with Allura."

"They aren't going to let us in there," Hunk muttered, following Pidge out of the door.

"We'll make them, if we say we have an important message for Commander Larkin they might."

...

Sky Marshall Wade paced his office, he'd felt mortified earlier at Prince Seth's actions, he would have to talk to the boy about biding his time, waiting for the right moment and not taking on a man like Commander Larkin that felt he had nothing to lose.

At least he believed that was the secret to Larkin's success, Wade had decided to make life impossible for the second-in command of the Voltron Force when they'd returned to Earth. He didn't want them getting in the way of his long term plans to profit from the technology that ran the lions, once he figured it out anyway. Or to profit from whatever little squabbles - wars if you must call them that - that he could have his hand in. Nothing would ever be as all consuming a war as the one with the Drule Empire.

The one the Prince Seth proposed for one, would be interesting, last less than a year - with his playing both sides he might even draw it out a little longer. But not if Prince Seth kept behaving like an idiot.

Right now however, Wade loved the news that his people had given him, from the planet Lyra. He had men there, collecting as much as they could of the special pollen the Lyran flower made, doctors, scientist, insiders so no one would ever know they were his men. But somehow Commander Keith Quinn must had found out it, or gotten a lead. He'd been caught sneaking into Dr. Wells office by a Lyran guard. He was in the jail now.

He would send Larkin to bring him back. A true test of Larkin's loyalty to Alliance and to himself. He claimed he was fine with Voltron being on the shelf, it wasn't the vehicle that mattered but the pilot, he'd never been totally comfortable with the ancient technology anyway. Now Wade could truly test Larkin's words.

He'd send Erica Thrace with him, she was one of his most loyal followers. He'd been molding her since her academy days. She'd keep an eye on them both, she'd report anything to him that seemed suspicious, that was too friendly, that could tell him he shouldn't trust the Voltron Force members in his midst.

...

"How is your nose?" Allura asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Her head was on Lance's shoulder. She looked up and frowned at the black eyes Prince Seth had caused by breaking his nose. "You look like a raccoon"

"A dashing and handsome raccoon," Lance said with a smile and wink, but then he winced. "Okay, no winking. But, I'll be fine; plus it makes me look dangerous and rugged, don't you think?"

Allura shook her head. "Raccoon."

"Hey raccoon's are dangerous, rabies and sharp teeth," he bared his teeth at her.

Allura laughed as she took in Lance's perfectly straight teeth. "Uh, huh," she said, trying to keep up the playful mood, but her mind was whirring. Their was confusion about all her strange and new reactions to Lance, there was contentment at just being with him, right now, next to him with laughter always near the surface. But she also felt disappointed in the way the night at turned out, not just the horribleness of meeting someone as awful as Prince Seth of Xios, but that she hadn't gotten have a full evening out with Lance.

"Hey, what is it?" Lance asked, sensing her shift in mood and squeezing her hand.

"I was looking forward to dancing," she admitted. Allura felt silly, she kept feeling so silly and young around Lance this entire trip to Earth, to the Academy and Diplomatic Station. She hadn't felt like this in years, so unsure and foolish. "It sounds dumb when I say it aloud."

"No, it doesn't," Lance said and he let go of her hand, and stood up.

Allura felt cold from where his arm had been, but she pushed the feeling away because it was irrational. She stood up, and watched him. "What are you doing?"

He was at the main computer station in her suite, he pressed some buttons and music started, it was classical and slow. He turned toward Allura to get her opinion on it with a raised eyebrow. "Too dull," he said and she nodded. He changed the station a few times until he found a station where they were playing newer more interesting instrumentals. Allura smiled her approval at his second raised eyebrow and he grinned.

His grin made it feel like something in her belly turned a somersault, how hadn't she noticed how lopsided it was before. How utterly endearing, she felt her heart beat speed up and it was like time was playing tricks on her because the moment felt so much like a moment to her - because it felt like the longest few seconds of her life.

Then his hands were on her hips, and hers were around his neck. She was looking up into his hazel eyes and he was looking straight into her own eyes. He moved her to the music, and she followed his lead. Allura had always known intellectually that Lance was a great dancer, one of the best she'd ever danced with, he didn't trip on his feet, or step on your toes, and he never made you feel like you being pushed in any specific direction. On Arus whenever Nanny or Coran had insisted on some Ball or another, she'd always insisted on Keith and Lance as her main dancers, because they were best. And she'd wanted time with Keith, and she'd wanted the break of not having to ' Be On' as a Princess with Lance.

Here and now, there was still no pretending, but there was nothing else either, there was just her and Lance, being her and Lance but it still felt all different. Lance suddenly spun her out and away from him, making her laugh at the unexpectedness of it and then when he pulled her back he dipped her down. Her hair was fanned out underneath her on the suite's neutral gray carpeting, Allura could feel it below her, but she was safe in solid arms but there was a dangerous something in Lance's hazel eyes, she felt like she mirrored it in her own.

The chime to her suite rang.

Allura felt like she'd just been shocked awake by the alarms in the Castle, all her muscles when instantly tense and she and Lance were suddenly standing a foot apart. She walked to her door and hit the intercom, glancing at the time. "Who is it?"

"It's Lieutenant Erica Thrace, Ma'am, is Commander Larkin with you, there is an emergency Sky Marshall Wade needs to speak with him about pronto."

Allura exchanged a wary glance with Lance, Lance nodded that Allura should let her in. Allura let the door slide in. Lieutenant Thrace saluted Lance, he told her to be at ease and asked her what was going on.

"I don't know, sir. Just that we are both to be in his office as soon as possible. When I didn't find you in Medical bay or your quarters I came here," the young woman kept her voice and expression neutral but her cheeks and neck fleshed.

Lance ran a hand threw his hair, Allura recognized the habitual tick, he was getting a bad feeling. "Allura," he said, giving her a subtle signal to follow him. "Stay there, Thrace, I'll be right out." Lance allowed Allura to enter her bedroom before he did and then walked in and almost closed the door all the way.

"Voltcom?" he whispered, walking toward the bathroom.

Allura went to her nightstand and pulled it out of the top drawer and followed and they closed the door. She put it on and activated it. "Pidge?"

"Yes," Lance ordered.

Allura nodded and did as she was told. "Pidge, Pidge, it's Allura can you hear me?"

"Allura? Is Lance with you?"

"I'm here, but I've got no time, I have to go with Thrace to Wade's office ASAP? Any clue?"

"Keith sent a 911 encryption. He was captured on Lyra, in some scientist's office. Wade wants you to bring him in, it's a test."


	8. Chapter 8

~~~8~~~

Keith paced the small cell he was locked in, his eyes falling to his right forearm where he had his Voltcom in camouflage mode - the problem was it was glitching. It wouldn't form his sword, it kept popping into sight and out of sight, sending out electricity in the form white sharp sparks.

It sparked as his eyes fell on his forearm, came into sight and then popped away again. He stared down at it willing it to behave, he didn't have time for this. It was his own fault for letting it get grazed by a laser bullet, for allowing himself to get caught in that office; and who knew Lyran scientists were such strong martial artists.

A door opened down the hallway from his cell, he heard wooden hinges creak and a pale light fell, he hid his arms behind his back. He couldn't let anyone see the Voltcom. He stood straight and made his expression blank; whoever it was coming to talk to him, he had to see if he could play them to escape this. He wondered idly if he his 911 had made it out to Pidge before the Voltcom went down on him; and even if it had, what could the rest of the team do?

A woman walked up to his cell and stood before him. She looked familiar to him somehow, he'd seen her before. Brown eyes, a wise and serious expression; she dressed like Guardians of the Lyran Flower did, but her bearing showed she held power, either of station or of being.

"I'm Lady Farla," she said.

Of course, Keith thought, the woman Lance met, the one he made the promise to, the reason he and Allura had returned to Lyra and reseeded the planet after Lotor had destroyed the planet's source for being. It was flourishing again, doctors and scientists were always requesting permission to study the Lyran Flower for for not only it's medical purposes but it's scientific possibilities. Keith had been given a lead that Wade was looking into using a form of the pollen merged with a synthetic to link it into computer systems. Keith thought it was a possibility that it could lead him to where Wade had stashed the Black Lion.

"I heard you were captured." She glanced down the hall. "I ordered the guards on a break. I know what your mission is, I know what you, Lance and the others are trying to do...I am here to offer my assistance?"

She knew. Keith felt a rant forming, it'd been reckless of Lance to tell her anything, any communication of their plans outside their circle was reckless it could lead to people being hurt. He swore internally but rationally his brain was working too. He looked her in the eye, she was sincere, honest and compassionate.

She could be trusted, Keith knew it in his soul. He pulled his arms from behind his back just as the voltcom sputtered and sparked again. He pulled it off and handed it through the bars. "My ship, have they found it yet?"

"No," Farla said taking the device and looking it over. "This is new technology."

"Not exactly," Keith hedged but he kept on the real subject. "My ship, I landed it in a field of flowers, under a cliff that looked like an open book from the air. Do you know it?"

Farla nodded. "Yes, I know where you mean."

"Yes. There is a way to get a message to Pidge, encrypted, in my ship..."

"I know the code," Farla interrupted.

Keith opened his mouth.

Farla's hand went up. "The guards are back, I must go," she hid the voltcom in pocket Keith hadn't seen in the folds of her skirt. "I will do all I can to help you, Commander," she whispered.

Keith watched her go, he was uneasy, she knew the code? How? What other stupid risks had Lance taken?

~~~.~~~

Lance hit send on the encrypted message he'd just written to Farla, then turned on the autopilot on the Alliance Security Aircraft he and Thrace were taking to Lyra. There were also two young Privates on board to act as guards. Wade hadn't wanted to take any chances. Lance had ordered everyone out of the cockpit, keeping up the appearance he'd made early on liking to fly alone - it helped that it was true. He liked to fly manually and he didn't like making small talk.

So he'd flown the ship, too fast, wanting to make good time, and figured out the message he needed to send to Farla. When Keith had first taken off and he'd found himself with Pidge and Hunk stuck under Wade's watchful eyes he'd decided they needed to maintain a network of allies. Farla had been one of the first people to receive via Coran a hand delivered package detailing the encryption code they'd be using to communicate anything they didn't want to be seen by Wade or his allies. The frequencies, codes, and the key.

Farla had made it clear she'd do anything to help them, as leader of the Guardians of Lyra she had power, and she'd fought for Voltron not to be decommissioned but her voice as well as well as many others had been drowned out by Wade's success in instilling fear in billions of people of the unknown factors of Voltron's technology.

Lance yawned, checked to make sure the route was computed right into the computer and left the cockpit, he hated letting a ship fly on autopilot for too long. He'd get Thrace up into the pilot's seat, she was the lesser evil, he supposed even if he didn't think she was much of a pilot. He just hoped he could get some shut eye, he was going to need some rest to deal with the upcoming days. It was beyond him how he was going to _let_ Keith escape without it looking like he _let_ Keith escape. How the hell had Keith been caught anyway? He was a freaking ninja? Had to have been an off day, or a lucky day for the Lyran guards? Lance frowned and hit the intercom on the room Thrace was sharing with the female private.

The door opened and they both presented themselves, always by the book with Thrace. He just waved his hand at them, yawning and ignored the salutes. "Thrace go pilot the ship, I hate autopilot, and I'm taking a nap. We'll be there in four hours. Wake me to land the ship, do not attempt to do it yourself."

"Yes, sir," she snapped.

"Go back to sleep, Private. You're going to need it to guard Keith Quinn."

"Yes, sir."

Lance then went into his quarters, and collapsed on top of his bedspread. It took him a good hour to quiet his mind enough to fall into a light dose.

~~~~..~~~~~

Allura stood on the balcony of her suite, her fingers drumming nervously on the railing, her eyes not seeing the stars that stretched out before her, giving she was 100 stories high, in a bubble on a space station. She didn't like this, she wished she could've gone with Lance. Keith was caught, and Lance was going in with out any true back up, not one of his own team to have his back. He'd ordered her, Pidge and Hunk to have minimal connect while he was gone. To not talk about why he was gone, to try to avoid discussing Keith if they could. She agreed, it was the best way to not to raise suspicion. They were all on record as disagreeing with Keith, who when he left had left behind his Commander stripes and uniform and said he was going to prove that Sky Marshall Wade was not be trusted.

They were all on record as disagreeing with him. Even though they agreed. Allura lifted a hand to her mouth and started to bite at her nails. She remembered when the idea had first come up. One of them going underground, chasing the rumors that they knew now were true, chasing down the leads, finding proof that Sky Marshall Wade was using Alliance resources for his own gain, and to find the Black Lion - which Wade had refused, along with all the lion's keys, to return to Arus. Lance had the idea and Lance had said he should go. Allura remembered yelling no and grabbing Lance's arm, looking at the rest of them, ending with her eyes on Keith, looking into his darker eyes and waiting for him to agree with her. That they shouldn't split up, they should stay together as a team.

"No," Keith had said. And she'd felt vindicated until he'd knocked the wind out of her by saying. "I should go, I'll do it," he added, and then he was avoiding her eyes.

And he and Lance argued for hours. Then it went quiet, too quiet.

The next morning there was note for each of them from Keith, and he was gone, decision made without listening to anybodies reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with the idea, who should go, or anything. Decision made. Allura had never been madder at Keith than at that moment.

Allura sighed. She hadn't wanted either one of them to go, her instincts told her that it would change things, that it would inherently change everything forever, and every one of them would be left on their own in ways they never wouldn't have been if they'd stayed together as a team. Their unity had been so important to flying Voltron. When they got the Lions back would they be able to find it again?

That wasn't Allura's present worry though, her present worries started with was Keith okay? Had he been hurt? How had he been caught? How would Lance be able to help him escape without showing his true loyalties - Wade had been consistently hard on Lance, Pidge and Hunk, but especially Lance given he was the second-in-command; for some reason all the things that made Lance, Lance, that made Keith and Lance fight but also in the end had made them friends. Were also making Lance stand out as a good soldier, one that Wade couldn't turn his back, so he was making Lance a favorite. A fast-tracked teacher at the academy and a soldier he hand picked for special missions. Allura hated it and this time was definitely a test. Bring in your old friend and prove to me you meant it when you said you are loyal my ideals.

Her computer beeped inside. She walked over to the station and pulled up the message. Encrypted message from Lady Farla. She breathed in and pressed the button and started to manual decode the message, slowly starting to breath regularly as her eyes took in Farla's words.

_Allura,_

_Keith is unhurt, I was told that is the first thing you'd want to know. It appears the gadget he wears around his forearm was damaged, I'm contacted Pidge for how to fix it, then I'll get it to his ship. He's hidden it well. I've put in a request for Lyra to give Keith asylum, it will be denied but the request has to go through and the prisoner has his chance to speak in front of our King. It will stall for time, a day or two. It's the best I can do. Lance has requested that I pretend to hate him, I just hope I can pull it off._

_Lady Farla_

Allura only felt slightly better as she read the note. She prayed to Gods of Arus and to her father that Pidge could help Farla fix the voltcom in time. She hoped whatever plan Lance had in mind would work and that the stall tactics would give them enough time. Looking at the time, Allura realized she should be in bed, the peace treaty talks were tomorrow, she should look bright and ready for them, not nervous and tired.

It hit her as she was walking to her room that the Lyran King was still on Lyra, then she remembered, Lyra always send one of the Guardian's, the elite soldiers that protected the flowers to be their representative. Someone different every year. It was a good omen, Allura was sure, it was luck that both Farla and her King were on Lyra when they were needed and not on Earth. It lifted a weight off of her shoulders.

Allura climbed into her bed but she found it hard to stay asleep, her mind falling into uneasy dreams about Keith getting hurt would wake her, and then when she fell asleep again it would be a similar dream only it would Lance. And she wake up again, her heart beating fast. She beat her pillow and told herself to stop worrying, they could take care of themselves, she needed sleep. She would think of good things. And in that way she fell asleep and dreamt about dancing, being held by strong and solid arms - but the dream wouldn't reveal her dancing partner's face.


	9. Chapter 9

~~~~9~~~~

Collision alarms made Lance sit up straight and he swore. Running back toward the cockpit of the ship. "I told you not to land."

"They gave the degrees for the pathway, it looked easy," Thrace hands slipped on the controls.

Lance swore, shoved her out of the seat and grabbed the controls. He looked at the landing vectors that had been sent from the Lyran Field Base. Lyran had a highly magnetic field on its planet, from the core of it, in it's mountains, every single rock and metal. It went up into the atmosphere. Over the years they'd found ways for ships to land and take off, but it took good fliers and very specific pathways. You had to follow them to a T, and no lean to the right, or left - even a millimeter.

"When I give an order, you follow it," he snapped, slowing the thrusters, more alarms started to blare and man from Lyra showed up on the digital view screener. "You are about to start barreling toward the planet on a magnetic wave you need too..."

Lance put him on mute and changed the settings to the view screen so he could see the planet coming up, with pathway degrees that'd been sent up highlighted in green. Thrace had them to far off target, he'd managed to stop them from being tossed down to the planet like a rag doll, but he had work to do if he was going to save the landing.

"We're going to crash!" he heard one of the privates scream behind him.

"I thought I was keeping it closer to the path," Thrace muttered, right behind Lance.

Lance growled. "All of you OUT." But before the door closed he turned back for one second. "Private Dennison, we aren't crashing."

He turned back to what he was doing, gritting his teeth as he slowed the ship down to the point it was barely in motion. He had change to course slowly, or the magnetic pull could pull the ship apart. It took him far longer then he would have liked to get back on track, so he could speed up and just take the ship down to the landing field.

On landing he let out a sigh and decided he thought lower of Erica Thrace than he thought.

"Commander, I thought I could do it," she said behind as she walked in. "I apolo..."

"Don't."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't apologize and don't disobey orders again, you understand?" Lance said standing up and staring at her. "I don't know why Wade thinks you're a good soldiers, I don't know what is on your record that could possibly show you are from what I've seen. But for now, we have a job to do, so lets just go and do it." He stalked past her and out of the door and found Private Dennison sitting on the floor outside in the hallway.

He squatted down. "We landed, safe and sound, I told you?" he said.

She looked at him. "I'm sorry I panicked."

"Happens to the best of us. I've done it myself. Now tell me, did Private Holder slept through everything?"

"Yes, sir."

"Go wake him up. We have a prisoner to get," Lance said, taking her hand and helping her up.

She saluted and then turned to get her partner.

"Lyran officials are meeting us, a Lady Farla and the scientist pressing charges against Keith Quinn."

'Commander Keith Quinn,' Lance thought. "Good, I know her, so this should go smoothly."

"You know her?"

"I've been to this planet before, Lieutenant."

"I wasn't aware, sir."

Lance shook his head, Voltron was decommissioned yes, but the fact all the history, all that they did was also to be ignored and forgotten. That really weighed on him sometimes. Sometimes he wanted to snap and scream at all the great strategies Keith had come up with, the battles they'd won based on luck and help from others alone. Everything Allura had been through to become the woman she was, the ruler that Arus deserved.

"It was a long time ago."

"Oh," Thrace said. "Uh,"

Lance looked at her, raised an eyebrow. "You have something to say, Thrace?"

"He is your old commander. You two were friends also, I just - It must be difficult?" she stammered out with no sincerity and without any guile, it was obvious she was fishing.

Lance laughed in her face. "It is something I don't think you'd ever understand, but I'm here to do my job. My loyalty is to the Galaxy Alliance," he lied but he did with a straight face and straighter spine.

Dennison returned with Holder, Lance nodded. "Let's go Soldiers," he said and led the way out to the tarmac.

~~~~.~~~~

Allura stifled the urge to punch Sky Marshall Wade when he walked up to her, with Prince Seth on his heels. She stood from the table, where she was having an early morning tea to help steady her nerves for the long day ahead of Peace Talks.

"Princes Allura, I was hoping you had a moment to speak to Prince Seth?" Wade asked, with a slight bow.

Allura nodded and turned her attention to the Xiosian, imaging what it would be like to flip him onto his back like Lance at done the night other night. "Prince Seth?"

"I wanted say how sorry I am for my behavior last night, Princess Allura. I had tried the Earth drink Jager, and found it does not agree with Xiosian physiology. Sky Marshall Wade informs me 'it went right to my head.' Will you accept my apology?"

Allura didn't believe him for a second, she hadn't smelled any alcohol on his breath the other night, however she knew she really had no choice but to be civil. Wade had brought him over here on purpose, from the body language she was reading between them. Wade was making him apologize to her. She nodded her head. "I accept the apology."

Prince Seth grinned. "Then possibly, maybe we could meet later, during the peace talks intermission for lunch?"

Allura checked herself before she rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry but no. I'll be eating with my Royal Adviser and Arus's main representive in the Galaxy Alliance, Coran as well as Tech Sargent Pidge, he's a citizen of Arus. I like asking his feelings on things discussed."

"I see. Maybe some other time?" Prince Seth said, but Allura heard the anger in his voice that he was trying to hide at her rejection and she saw his eyes turn into snake like slits.

She gave a noncommittal smile. "Sky Marshall Wade, has there been any news from Commander Larkin?" she asked.

"Lieutenant Thrace, informed me they were just about to land about ten minutes ago?"

Allura felt like her stomach had dropped to her toes. "She was piloting the ship?" she said her voice reaching a pitch she didn't know it could.

"I believe so?" Sky Marshall Wade said.

"Excuse me," Allura said, turning and walking away the two men, calling over her shoulder as an excuse. "I have to find Coran."

Instead she went straight to her quarters, sat down at her computer and left an official message with Lyra to have Commander Lance contact her to let him know he landed safely. It wasn't a suspicious message she thought, it made sense, especially given what Wade had just told her about Thrace.

~~~~.~~~~

Lance walked toward Farla, thinking she didn't look like she'd aged a day. She was in a sleeker uniform than the simple white dress he'd seen before. Black pants and form fitting top that peach-pink color of the flowers themselves, she was a bit ahead of the two fellow Guardians behind her, and far ahead of the man he assumed was the scientist Keith had been investigating. The scientist was a tall man, younger than Lance expected, blonde, fit, and didn't at all have that smart-look he expected of science geeks - he did however look pale and sweaty under Lyra's hot tropical sun. Next to the Scientist were two Galaxy Alliance soldiers who were stationed on Lyra, who worked with the Guardians but per Lyra's treaty with the Alliance under the Guardian's rule - at least that was how it was supposed to work.

Farla was close enough now for them to make eye contact. He'd told her to slap him, to make it clear she was disgusted with him for turning his back on Voltron, on Keith and that she was disgusted with Keith's arrest. That she was requesting asylum for him and would not allow them to take Keith until the King had spoken his ruling for that was the proper way on Lyra.

As his eyes met Farla's though he saw her heistating, saw her touching her nose and widening her eyes. He shook his head as slightly as he could and kept eye contact telling her, he hoped with his look that she had to do it. Slap him and with conviction. He wanted it clear to everyone who might be whispering to Wade that he was being a loyal soldier; as much as the thought sickened him.

Farla was suddenly right in front of him and her hand came up and slapped him hard across the cheek. Lance curled his fists to try balance out the pain, because damn, getting slapped the day after a broken nose, really frigging hurt.

"Farla?"

One of Farla's guards behind her stepped up. "Lady Farl, what are you doing. This is Lance Larkin, he is the savior of our planet!"

Lance inwardly cringed, did they seriously call him that? Farla had saved Arus, he returned the favor. It hadn't been anything.

"He isn't the man I know. The man that saved this planet was honorable. He was loyal. He kept his vows and promises. He was a defender of the universe. Not a soldier who listens to orders and then just blindly follows them. He should be on Arus, or in our cells with Keith Quinn. A true hero, an honorable man. A man still worthy of being called the Commander of the Voltron Force. Only when he manages to find his way back to the mecha who will he find to fly it with him? Because his so-called-friends like Lance here have turned their backs on everything they claimed to have stood for," Farla ended her speech by spitting on Lance's shoes.

Private Holder started to step forward, but Lance held out a arm.

"Look, Farla," he started.

"No you look. I was not on duty the night Keith was arrested by my men, if I had been I would have let him go. This would not be happening..."

"Lady Farla, you really don't have that authority," the Galaxy Alliance soldiers on duty had arrived on the scene and one of them stepped up next to Lance and Farla.

"Yes, I do, however things don't always work the way they should, do they," she said the soldier. "I have put in a request for Keith Quinn to be given Asylum. As a Guardian I have that right, he is to go before the King tomorrow morning. It is law that once the request is made the person requesting it cannot be moved until he has been seen by the King,"

"You did what?" the scientist yelled. "You see, you see what I put with, Commander Lee?"

Commander Lee looked from Farla to Lance and sighed. "Commander Larkin, Sky Marshall Wade, says you are in charge of the situation while you are here. What do you want us to do?"

"Is she right?"

Lee sighed. "She is, but..."

"Then we follow Lyran law, we are on their planet, we don't mess with their traditions," Lance explained and he gave Farla pointed look. She held his gaze and though her face still looked angry he caught the warmth in her eyes. "Have you found Quinn's ship yet?" Lance asked turning his attention to Commander Lee.

"No, sir. I haven't been able to even get a read off him to figure out where to start a search perimeter."

"I know how his mind works. I want to see him first, but when I'm done there, I want a topographical map up for me to look at. Dennison, Holder follow me, you are taking over guard duty from the Guardians. However Lady Farla will still be allowed to visit her friend, we aren't monsters."

"Uh, what about me," Erica asked, as Lance started to walk away with the two Privates.

"Oh, right you," Lance turned around and sighed. "With Lee, interview him," he pointed at the scientist.

"I am Dr. David Early," he said pompously.

Lance shrugged at him and then continued walking behind Lady Farla and her two guardians toward where Keith was being kept. When a communication device Farla wore on her wrist beeped.

"Yes?"

"There is a message from Princess Allura for Commander Larkin. She wants to know if he landed safely."

Lance snorted, wondering why on earth Allura would send such a message. He opened his own communication device and contacted Lieutenant Thrace.

"Yes, sir."

"Inform, Princess Allura that we landed safely," he let the no thanks to you remain unsaid.

"Yes, sir."

"Derrick, Winston, take the day off. With Commander Larkin taking over, you are off duty. I'm sorry."

Farla's words made Lance realize he was standing inside a building now, where a door led to a corridor of cells. His throat went dry. Keith was down there, he swallowed. "Dennison, Holder, stay here."


	10. Chapter 10

~~~~10~~~~

Farla opened the door, it creaked on its hinges. Lance knew the sound meant Keith knew that they were coming. That Keith was expecting the lackey that Wade had sent for him. He walked through the door and closed it behind him. Farla walked ahead of him, down the corridor, to the last cell and stopped. Lance felt like there was weights on his feet, he hated this, he wanted to see Keith.

He wanted to look into Keith's eyes and see if he was okay, see how he was doing, see that he was handling his role as a wanted fugitive well - Keith Quinn was honorable and loyal. He wasn't the type of man you expected to see on the run, ducking under the radar and following unsavory clues. Lance still didn't understand why Keith hadn't let him be the one to go underground. He didn't buy the fact that it was because Black Lion was the lion Wade had secreted away for a minute. At worst he thought it was because Keith didn't trust him, or believed he couldn't handle the job, and other times he wondered if it was something stupid to do with Allura. The truth was probably something noble and honorable that only Keith could fully understand, with underlying issues that Keith was denying floating around.

Farla was watching him and he realized he'd stopped short of walking in front of Keith's cell. Lance straightened his spine and stepped forward, and met Keith's intense gaze. Keith's stoic blank expression flickered from recognition, to happiness, to annoyance. "What're you doing here?"

"What do you think? Getting Wade's most wanted for him, Keith?"

"But why you?"

"I'm his favorite new toy, as Allura puts it," Lance said with a shrug. "I don't know, but there it is."

"So, uh, how is...are everyone?" Keith asked, face ducking down, hand scratching the back of his neck.

Lance rolled his eyes. "Hunks good. Pidge is fine. Coran as a Queen hot to trot for him - it's hysterical," he stopped there on purpose.

"Good, good, what? Coran and a Queen? He'd never date someone of royal blood?"

"Which is why it's hysterical. The Queen doesn't stand on such traditions, not sure if it's her planet or just her,"

Farla cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, it's just..." she waved her hands around. "We don't have much time here? I got your voltcom, it is called, fixed, Keith, it's on your ship. I've done all I can to stall everything," she said to them both. Then she turned to Lance and touched his cheek where she had slapped him. "And you, I'll continue to pretend to hate your guts. But for now, since it looks like I won't get another chance," she leaned up onto her toes and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you for bring the flower back to Lyra, you and Princess Allura are truly our saviors."

"You saved Allura, Farla, and the people of Arus. I was just returning the favor."

Farla shook her head. "It meant more than that to me and to our people. I'm going to hear it for weeks for hitting you, let alone what I said."

"Well, someday you'll be able to tell the truth, I might need some more help from you, so..."

"My eyes will be peeled, Lance. Keith I hope you are soon off my planet and free from Galaxy Alliance cuffs. I'll wait down the hall."

Lance waited a few moments, to make sure Farla was out earshot and turned back to Keith, saw Keith staring at him, studying him. "That was embarrassing," he muttered.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Not really," Lance admitted. "I'll be starting the search for your ship when I leave here, I'm figuring you hid it under some rock formation that spoke to you - as always. So, I can have the search pattern keep them from finding it until you go in front of the king to have your asylum request denied. It's there you are going to have to make a break for it."

Keith nodded.

"I have two newbie Privates, first year out of the Academy. Grabbing a weapon from either of them will be easy, dodging them piece of cake. The Lieutenant, Wade sent to spy on me, I doubt she has any secret ninja skills, though I'll look her record up to check," Lance put his hands up to his temples and rubbed them. "But really, Thrace won't be a fight either. So I'm the only one who can match you and I'm going to have to for real, I can't afford not to."

"I agree," Keith said and he sighed.

Lance looked his former Commander up and down. "You look like you've lost weight, you have enough money? Are you hustling like I told you to do?"

"Cheating people out of their money is not something..."

"Get over the nobility Keith, you're a fugitive on the run. Cheat a few drunks in dive bars on the planets you end up on, and get yourself money. You can make money easy with a few smart bets."

Keith stayed quiet for a long time. "Going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"How you finally got a broken nose?"

"Xiosian Prince thought it was okay to manhandle Allura."

"Is she okay?" Keith said, quickly his voice sharper than usual.

"She would have handled him on her own but it was a ball and high heel shoes apparently aren't good for a fighting stance. Actually, you should keep your ear out for anything about Prince Seth of Xios for us, I'd appreciate it. He gives me a bad vibe and he was hanging with Wade. Coran also wrote him down as someone he wanted Allura to avoid."

"I will. The Princess, Allura, she is..."

"God, Keith, she's fine. You know you could ask her yourself. No one has a clue about the code?" Lance snapped, he sounded defensive to his own ears, guilt rising up about his new reactions toward Allura. The weird charge between them, the changes that seemed to be happening in their relationship, even as it stayed exactly same as always. But it was nothing, to feel guilty about because nothing had happened. It had almost happened. There was a difference.

"Speaking of the code, it was reckless to give it to Farla, to send it to her via a space communication..."

"I'm not an idiot Keith, even though you insist on thinking I am," Lance barked. "Coran, gave it to her in person. He had official business here and I saw it as a chance to give an ally as way to know what was going on and way to report to us, in case she saw or heard anything. Lyra's an important planet. Hell, you ended up here, didn't you? And guess what being able to talk to Farla helped out. What did you find in that scientist office anyway?"

"Early, his name is Early. He's doing something with pollen, and liquid synthetic that is already used to make wires for computer systems, when it dries it's solid. He's trying to merge some chemical he's made with the Lyran flower pollen, and the synthetic, to create another form of liquid wiring creation - I heard that Early had earned scholarships sponsored by the Wade family and thought maybe it might lead to the Black lion, or maybe something on Wade. But all I found was paperwork, and stuff on what I already knew in the office."

"Damn," Lance sighed. "So Wade's using his the money from his family ties to fund this guy, though?"

"Looks like it."

"Guys, that Lieutenant that was with you is talking to the privates," Farla called out.

Lance and Keith both sighed. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow," Keith said. "Try to come up with some kind of plan,"

Lance nodded but as he walked out, he had a feeling he was just going to have to wing it.

~~~~.~~~~

Keith sat up, he'd gotten nothing but uneven sleep; knowing Wade had sent his best friend, his second-in-command to escort him back to Earth. It tensed his muscles. What was worse was he'd been angry to see Lance, instead of happy, it was more bitter than sweet. Lance looked like hell, it was more than the damn broken nose. Lance and ridden him about food and money, but Keith saw that Lance wasn't getting enough rest, that he had too much on his shoulders. Lance was a pilot, he was meant to fly and fight. Keith knew he'd make a great leader but that didn't mean he had to be one. Keith let his head settle into his hands, second guessing for the millionth time since he started if he'd made the right call, or if Lance had been right all along. That he should have been the one to go AWOL and declare war on Wade.

Keith shook his head, no to his own doubt, he had to be him. He was the one who had trusted Wade, who'd shown off the team and the Lion's after the defeat of Voltron. Who had thought they'd their victory had changed Wade's mind about his concern with the technology, thought their victory had calmed Wade's fears. He'd been prideful and stupid. Lance, Allura, Pidge, and Hunk, none of them thought Wade had chanced. All of them kept telling him they didn't like Wade, were getting bad vibes from them, especially Lance and Allura. Allura hadn't wanted to let him anywhere near the Lions, but Keith had asked her and she'd allowed it.

If he hadn't let his pride get in his way, then Wade wouldn't have snowed him, wouldn't have had the opportunity to sabotage the lions. Keith started pacing the cell, he felt trapped, Wade made him angry in ways he never recalled being angry at anyone from Doom. Wade was suppose to stand for peace, justice, he was supposed to be protecting the universe. Instead he'd constantly gone on record against Voltron, citing it's ancient unknown technology, yet he'd known how, or who to ask, to have it sabotaged in such a way it looked like the Lions had turned on independently. The team then had to admit there was precedent for such actions, despite knowing the incident at the celebration wasn't one.

Keith blamed himself and he would find the Black lion, find out what he could about Wade, then he'd return home - to Arus - and get his team back together.

He knew Lance wasn't being idle, it wasn't like Lance, he knew Pidge had the encryption code ready before he had even left, and he doubted Hunk and Allura were just sitting on their hands. He'd gotten a few leads from them, he'd been able to ask them questions, ask them research a person or two. Keith leaned his hands agains the brick wall of the cell. Maybe he should have asked for more information on Early before he went into his office? He just hoped when he got to his ship that Farla had indeed fixed his voltcom.

That was if Lance had come up with a plan, though Keith had a feeling that Lance was just going to wing it. Keith sighed, because he'd love to think he would have a plan in Lance's place but he's pretty sure he wouldn't. It was a no win situation, they both had to fight to win and neither one could afford to lose, and neither one of them wanted to win - but Keith had too.

~~~~.~~~~

Lance picked up the voltcom, Farla left in Keith's pilot seat. He'd gone into the meeting to start the search for the ship, looked at the maps, saw where Keith had landed immediately and set up the beginning of the search just east of there, starting first thing in the morning. He put Thrace in charge and told her he'd be sleeping in, then going to the asylum hearing for Keith that was scheduled for mid morning.

Instead of sleeping in, however he went to Keith's ship, wanting to check it out and make sure it was take off ready, leave some money behind for Keith, and check he voltcom. Farla didn't know the technology, he didn't really get it either but he knew what it felt like when it was working right; he slipped off his own and put on Keith's. It hummed against his skin, feeling familiar but not, because it wasn't his, it didn't have the same hum as Red, but it felt like the Black Lion just the same. The voltcoms were the closest things they had to their lions.

Lance made sure he had room and said, "Blazing sword," and the sword Keith fought with appeared, a man-sized version of the weapon Voltron formed. "Good, good," Lance nodded, closing the sword and taking it off.

He placed the voltcom on the pilot seat, put his own back on and jumped back out of the ship, now he'd go back to the outdoor throne room the King of Lyra used to see his people, and deny good men like Keith asylum. He wanted to check it out, see if he was remembering it right. It'd been where he'd fought Lotor, when he realized Lotor had set up a trap, and where he'd gotten a lucky break by surviving the fall - rather push - over the balcony, down the granite cliff and into the water.

An hour later, Lance was standing there, his hand tracing the score his sword had left in the rock railing. He looked down into the canyon below, you could barely see the water that he knew was rolling below. A hand touched his arm, startling him.

"Sorry," Farla stepped back. "What're you doing here so early?"

"Thinking," he glanced around.

"No one is here, I was just walking through, then I was going to have my men get into position."

"How many?"

"Two."

"If you order them to help Keith?"

"No, they won't," Farla shook her head. "I'm sorry, Lance, they would go against the king for me if they thought I was right, but they see you here to take Keith and they think I'm going against the hero of our planet."

Lance groaned. "Wish I could let them know the truth, but..." he continued looking down.

"Lance? I don't like where you are standing, maybe we should move away..."

"It's fine, Farla."

"I was sure you were dead," Farla said, remembering "I hated myself when I realized what I brought you into with the Prince of Doom being here. Then, I thought you were going to win and then the next second you were gone, over the ledge."

"I survived, barely a scratch."

"You got lucky,"

"Maybe..." Lance glanced back down. "I have a bit more than luck now..." he muttered.

Farla stared at him. "Don't, whatever it is you are thinking just don't. I understand Keith getting free is important but don't risk yourself."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Farla," Lance said, but he barely faced her, still staring down the canyon. "You better leave, before someone sees us getting along."

Farla grudgingly agreed but Lance barely noticed Farla leave, he was to busy thinking of just how to make it look like he wasn't throwing a fight, when that was the exact thing he planned on doing.


	11. Chapter 11

~~~~11~~~~

Allura brushed her hair and yawned. She'd overslept, the day before had been long and boring, peace treaty talks were important yet dull and she'd gotten little sleep the night before. However, knowing that Lance had landed safely on Lyra, and that he was there with Keith; she'd felt better. There was comfort in knowing they would have each others backs, as much as they could given the situation.

Finishing brushing the tangles out of her long hair, she turned on her computer and found two encrypted messages waiting for her. The first from Lance, the time showed he'd sent it just before dawn broke on Lyra. She frowned, she hoped he'd gotten some rest. Opening it, she typed in the keystrokes needed to turn the symbols into words.

_Allura,_

_Keith is fine, voltcom was grazed, Farla said she fixed it. Going to go check it out in a few. Have search party looking just north of his ship. He goes before Lyran King Enos mid-morning, that is when everything hits the fan. Wish us luck, because we will be winging it, unless I figure out a plan last minute. _

_He asked about you, in his way, you know trying to spit out the words and not quite getting there. I told him he should drop you a message now and again. Then he tried to yell at me about Farla having the code. So, you know, he's the same old Keith. He'll be fine. _

_Fill you in on specifics on why he was here when I get back. _

_Lance_

Allura smiled, she could just picture Keith asking about her, trying not to be to obvious or forward. She'd thought it shyness for a long time, then some weird sense of honor he had because he was a civilian and she was royalty. She still thought that had a lot to do with his behavior toward her, but she knew now it also was about his feelings for her. Feelings that they never got to explore because once they were out in the open, once her own feelings had been placed out there - they'd started to avoid each other. Then Wade had happened and Keith was gone. Now she didn't know what she felt because when she'd seen Lance's name she'd felt a flutter of anticipation; something had changed there and she still wasn't sure she wanted it to, but she didn't seem to have control over it.

She opened the second message, it was from Farla and had been sent just fifteen minutes ago, from the timestamp on it. A few keystrokes brought forth the words and she read them, her heart dropping to her stomach with each word.

_Princess Allura,_

_I'm hoping you can talk to Lance before the hearing for Keith. I'm - I terrified he's going to do something stupid. I'm not sure you know what happened when he was on Lyra to return with the pollen of our flower for the medicine Arus needed. But he had a fight with Lotor where Lotor pushed him over a railing; the railing is there because of a huge canyon drop below; people used to be thrown to their deaths from this spot. He was the only man to survive it, how he did manage it I'll never know. I'm afraid he plans to do well, do this again on purpose. I don't see how he can get lucky twice, I'm worried._

_Lady Farla._

Allura felt shaky as she made the connections to make the call to Lyra. Hoping that she was in time to possibly make a difference, if she even could. Usually once Lance got an idea in his head - she inhaled deeply. Farla made have read him wrong, she didn't know him all that well. The problem was what Farla was saying was exactly the type of thing that Lance would do, in heartbeat, and she if he survived it she was going to throttle him.

"Lyra Control," a bored voice and a bored face appeared on the screen.

"This is Princess Allura of Arus, Commander Larkin please?"

The man's face changed completely. "Yes, yes, Your Highness, Savior of Lyra, he is right here," he left his chair.

Allura blushed at the accolade, and started tapping her foot in impatience.

"Thrace, just do what I say, we are on Lyra, we follow their traditions, the Guardians bring in Quinn, uncuffed, it's how it works. Follow with Privates Dennison and Holder." Lance came into view shouting, Allura frowned, though his bruises looked a bit better, he looked too tired.

"Hey," he said with a large smile, as he slid onto the stool. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

"I've heard you might be being stupid," Allura said.

Lance rolled his eyes. "I've got it covered."

Allura frowned, searching for how to continue this conversation without giving anything away. "I know Keith has made us all angry but we shouldn't do anything stupid to try to get through to him," she said, hoping he caught her real meaning.

"He's a traitor, to what we believe in," Lance retorted. "I will do anything I can to make sure he gets what he deserves, Allura."

Allura scowled at Lance. "Don't let yourself get hurt, you aren't as lucky as you think you are."

"Baby, luck has nothing to do with it," he said with a wink, holding up his right forearm. Allura saw for the split second it was visible Lance's voltcom come into focus and then it was gone. She breathed out, only slightly appeased.

"Be careful," she muttered.

"Always."

She broke the connection. It wasn't until a few minutes later as she was tying up the laces on the boots she was wearing for the day, as she was going hiking with Hunk it dawned on her Lance had called her baby. She smiled a bit as she pulled the laces tighter, shaking her head because really - baby? He was still getting throttled, the voltcom only made her worry a little less. Oh, she should let Farla know... She hopped back onto her computer quickly, before she left to meet Hunk.

~~~~.~~~~

Keith was surprised to see Farla, in uniform with two of her men, come up to his cell, with two Galaxy Alliance Privates and one Lieutenant flanking her. No sign of Lance at all. Farla unlocked the cell, Keith stood where he was waiting for the Lieutenant to walk up and cuff him.

"You will walk behind me, my guards behind you; Lieutenant, you may walk behind my guards with Dennison and Holder by your side."

"He should be cuffed."

"It's not Lyran law he be so, my guards can hold him."

Keith glanced at the Lyran Guardians, they were big men, burly, muscle bound, he had no doubt if they caught him in a hold - again - they could keep hold of him. He'd have to make sure he wasn't caught by them then, he thought.

Lieutenant Thrace sighed. "I just want it on record I disagree with Commander Larkin."

Farla nodded. "Yes, every one has heard you loud and clear. You have no respect for Lyran law. As much as Commander Larkin disgusts me he had least has respect for the planet that has granted him such high laurels. Commander Quinn, please, between me and my men," Farla said.

Keith nodded, as he placed himself into position, he continued studying Lieutenant Thrace. It had been obvious Lance felt she was a disgrace to the uniform, that he didn't like her. Her attitude was bad but it seemed to come from a nervous place; Lance had said she was a Wade lackey. Keith watched how she walked, getting a sense of her bearing, how she carried her weight. The Privates would be more of a fight than her, Keith thought, then idly wondered how she'd gotten to the rank of Lieutenant.

As they walked, Lance showed up, stepping in next to Farla. Farla tensed up, making a show of disliking the presence beside her. Keith could see the pretense of it in her lines, the way she held her shoulders, the way she had to keep forcing her body to move away and not toward Lance. As they got close to the outdoor throne room where his hearing was to be heard, he heard Lance lean in and whisper to Farla. "you tattled."

"Princess Allura promised me to throttle you if you survive."

This made Keith's spine go rigid, what the hell was that about. Lance then turned toward him, right forearm quickly flashing his voltcom. Lance had a plan then. Great. Keith had wanted Lance to have a plan, winging it was dangerous, even if had seem the only way. Only now there was plan and Keith had more of a bad feeling about it.

He was in the open air room of a sorts, the sky above him, a railing behind him. He looked around the room, took in its size and shape. It matched the description of the place in Lance's written report on his trip to Lyra years ago. He frowned, Lance had survived a death fall - a fall no one should have survived from this place. Keith looked at Lance with his peripheral, trying to glare at him, let him know he was onto him and he was being reckless.

Farla pushed him closer to the throne, Keith took the steps. Then he watched her walk past him, her men following her to stand to the left of the King. Lance was now behind him where Farla had been, the two privates were on his left and right. He couldn't see Lieutenant Thrace.

"King Enos, this Commander Keith Quinn,"

"Former Commander," Lance shouted.

"He's the leader of the Voltron Force," Farla continued.

"The Voltron Force is no longer needed, we are now just military soldiers like everybody else, except of course for Princess Allura. And this traitor," Lance added in.

"I believe that this man is owed our favor and that we should grant asylum, without the Voltron Force, and his leadership we would not be a flourishing planet right now."

"Uh, he wasn't going to let me come," Lance added.

Keith had to try to stop himself from rolling his eyes or breaking out in inappropriate laughter, it was insane. It was all a stall anyway, he shouldn't be enjoying the performance he should be looking for his moment. He looked to his left, Holder was trying not to laugh himself, he looked to his right Dennison was holding herself with decorum and looked battle ready. Holder it was, Keith thought.

"King Enos, I beg of you to give him asylum, at least please let him speak on his own behalf." Farla gave her final plea.

"He's a traitor to the Galaxy Alliance of which Lyra is a proud member of, you know what you have to do King Enos," Lance said.

"I cannot grant asy..." King Enos began to say.

Then chaos.

Keith kicked Holder's legs out from under him, grabbed his laser blaster and tossed it over the railing, then grabbed Dennison from behind and grabbed her laser blaster, using her briefly as hostage. Until Thrace showed up, in front him, her own blaster out, then he threw Dennison on top of Thrace, tossed the other blaster over the railing and found himself on the ground from a tackle by Lance.

Vaguely he heard Farla say. "Asylum wasn't granted. Let the soldiers deal with it."

"So, I have this plan," Lance whispered in his ear, just before Keith was able to switch their positions of the ground.

"I caught wind of that, I think its reckless and stupid."

Lance made a move that made them both flip over and end up back on their feet, Lance's back to the railing, then he punched Keith in the chin. "I've got it under control."

Keith tackled him, pushing Lance against the railing, and then having them grappling on the floor again. "It'll kill you this time."

"It won't," Lance grunted, flipping Keith over his shoulder so he was on the ground.

Keith bounced back onto his feet and growled, flying back into Lance. "You really piss me off!" he yelled.

"Feeling. Totally mutual," Lance shouted back.

Keith did all he could do, to keep Lance from backing himself up into that railing, but they were fighting in an enclosed space, everyone else had fallen into some kind of trance just watching them, instead of Lance's team trying to help him -and before Keith knew what happened, Lance was tipping over the railing, mouthing 'Run' at him, then Lance was gone.

Keith froze, until he heard footsteps, turned and saw Thrace about to gain ground on him. He punched her once quick, she crumpled down, and he took off, heart beating too fast and a real desire to truly kill Lance if he did survive that fall for the second time.

Behind him he heard Dennison yell, "Holder, go after Quinn, I'll start a search party Commander Larkin, can someone take Lieutenant Thrace to a doctor!"

Keith never caught wind that Holder was on his heels at all, he got on his ship, saw the money Lance had left and felt another rise of anger, put on his own voltcom and started the ship, downloaded from Lyran Control the degrees he needed to get off planet and was off of Lyra in less than five minutes. He then typed a very pissed off encryption code letter to Farla, Allura, Pidge, Hunk and Lance.


	12. Chapter 12

~~~~12~~~~

Allura tried not to worry. She devoted all her energy to enjoying her time with Hunk, on his day off, letting him talk about his favorite Monster Truck show, the rock concert he was hoping to get tickets for the following weekend on Arus, that he wanted everybody to go to. He was taking her on one of his favorite trails, showing her Earth trees and flowers, because he knew how much she loved flora and fauna.

She listened, asked questions, teased him and joked.

She was not worrying about Lance taking dive off of a cliff.

They were taking a break at beautiful scenic view, that reminded Allura of Arus because for as far as you could see there were no space stations, or spaceships coming and going from the sky. There were areas designated to be free from space travel, to keep the beauty of nature in place. Usually when she was on Earth her hikes with Hunk, were some of her favorite memories because she really got to see the planet. This time she was just staring into nothing.

Hunk put his hand on her shoulder. She felt the weight, the warmth of it but didn't process that he was trying to get her attention until he said her name a few times.

"I'm sorry Hunk, what was it?"

"Why are you so far away?"

Allura sighed, she hadn't wanted to worry him. "It's Lance."

"He should be back soon, bet he's gotten Keith free by now. You know Lyra is actually the same time as Earth, well Eastern like we are, Pidge told me last night. He doesn't even have to worry about the space lag for once."

Allura nodded. "He's going to fall off a ledge."

"What?"

"To save Keith, he plans to fall of a ledge, the one he was lucky to survive the first time he was on Lyra. He could be dead for all we know, right now, just dead! Of all the stupid bone-headed dumbass things he's ever done!" Allura yelled.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, start over?"

"Just because he has a his voltcom, I mean that doesn't mean that he's going to be perfectly fine. Who can survive the impossible twice, no one. Who does he think he is? He's human, he's still healing from being shot, he's got a broken nose."

"He has a broken nose?" Hunk repeated, Allura glance at him, seeing his hands motioning up and down, trying to slow her down still and she sighed.

"I'm going to kill him. If he survives, he is dead."

Hunk's cellphone rang.

Allura went quiet. "Is that about Lance?"

Hunk looked at his caller I.D. "Uh, it's Pidge, hold on," he said. "Hey, Little Buddy, uh look..." He paused to listen Pidge. "That's Great! Oh, huh, Allura was just ranting herself about...have you heard? No? Uh...Okay, yeah. That is a good point. Right, yeah, I'll tell her."

Allura tried to be patient but she couldn't stop herself when Hunk closed his phone. "What, what is it? Has he heard from Lance?"

"Keith."

"Oh," Allura said, feeling disappointed before her brain caught up. "I mean, good he got away," she smiled. "Is Lance in one piece?"

"Keith's message didn't say, he mass emailed to all of us. He was pretty ticked with Lance, it was the usual rant about how he doesn't think things through and it was a dangerous reckless dumb plan."

"It was!" Allura agreed, starting to bite her nails.

"Pidge did point out that there were several ways the voltcom could be used to slow his rate of descent and keep him perfectly safe on the way down."

Allura looked up. "Really?"

"Yeah, there is the claw mode, that we have utilized at time or two for climbing buildings, it's perfectly logical to use it to stall a fall. Also, if he slowed down enough he could use it to create some sort of handhold that would be easy to put into the rock of Lyra and not have to worry about the magnetic field since the voltcom is a laser based. Pidge even said he wouldn't put a parachute past the possibilities of the tech, though he isn't sure he'd test that out himself..." Hunk trailed off, his face looking like maybe he shouldn't have said that last one.

Allura breathed in and held her breath for a few moments. On the exhale she nodded. "I do feel a bit better. I might hit him when he gets back though, broken nose or no broken nose."

"He really has a broken nose?" Hunk asked, looking thrilled.

Allura stared at him. "Really, you aren't worried, you are just looking forward to ribbing him about finally getting a broken nose?"

"Lance's plans usually sounds ridiculous, but really when as one ever not worked?" Hunk asked.

Allura thought about it and had to smile. "They do tend to work, don't they?"

"Yep," Hunk laughed. "Tell me about the nose?"

Allura took another deep breath and decided to go along with Hunk's attempt to distract her, and started to tell him about Prince Seth.

~~~~.~~~~

Lance pulled himself out of the water and groaned a bit. He was either getting to old for this stuff or, he needed to sleep for two weeks straight; he remembered that fall being a helluva drop but not quite that bad. Plus he'd had way more control this time, using the voltcom to give himself claws on both hands and feet he'd been able to almost completely slow his fall, until it was an easy drop to the river below.

Then a short swim and there was a path that had to lead somewhere. He checked his voltcom, Pidge said they were waterproof but he'd never tested out the theory. Lance switched it back to camouflage mode, in case he ran into a Galaxy Alliance soldier before anyone else. It worked perfectly, he grinned, and started walking, ignoring the aches in his muscles and trying not think about the bruises from the fight and the fall.

He didn't get very far, when he ran into a group of young Guardians, looking for him. The leader, a young man with a mop of red hair eyes widened and he exclaimed. "I found you! I mean we found you! I mean, you're him. I mean, I'm Wyeth... I mean, Lady Farla and the soldiers are looking for you, and you're Lance, I mean Commander Voltron...I-I..."

Another boy in the group smacked him in the back of the head. "Shut up, what is wrong with you, you're acting like your little sister. I'm Fred, we're in training to be Guardians, he's usually not such a freak, Commander Larkin, he just sort of -"

"He has a crush on you," the girl of the group said.

The boys turned toward her and glared.

"Uh," Lance muttered, "Is that radio for me?"

Wyeth turned from the girl, looked at him again and turned as red as his hair, then handed him the radio and ran off in the direction Lance had came from. Fred glared at the girl. "What the hell," before he ran off after his friend.

The girl shrugged and looked at Lance. "I'm Lady Farla's niece, since when does she hate you?"

"You'd have to ask her," Lance said.

"She won't answer me, she tells me it's grown up stuff. But she's really not all that grown up, I mean at least if you ask my grandmother."

Lance eyed the girl, she was older but she was reminding him of Larmina. "I see," he said turning on the radio. "This is Commander Larkin, come in, I've been found by?" He gave the blonde a raised brow. "Your name?"

"Don't want to admit to Wyeth and Fred, huh? I wouldn't either. Rosa."

"Been found by Rosa."

"Commander, thank goodness, you are alive. Have Rosa bring you to the control room. Lieutenant Thrace is still in the infirmary with a concussion, Quinn hit her hard. I'm sorry but he got away, Holder lost him. And I thought I should be looking for you, sir," Dennison's voice came at him from the other end.

Lance grinned. Good it'd worked. "You did good, Dennison. He's well trained, always was a good fighter and he got lucky. Rosa and I are on our way."

"I always thought Farla was in love with you," Rosa said as they started walking.

"Do you think everyone is in love with me," Lance asked.

Rose sighed. "Well, yeah, a lot of people on this planet are kind of obsessed with you. There are just the crazy obsessed ones. But yeah there ones I think love you, or what they think you are. I still think my Aunt is faking it..." she side eyed him.

"Sure felt like she hated me when she hit me."

"Did she break your nose?" Rosa asked. "I'd believed it if she did that. I mean she has it in her, but to you?"

"She did. Broke my damn nose, lived my whole life with no one breaking it and then get here and Lady Farla breaks my nose. Saved her life once too."

"Uh. Okay maybe she does hate you. Are you dating Princess Allura?"

"What?"

"On Intergalaxy Channel X there was segment on the Ball and you Allura were shown entering it. You two looked like a couple. Then they showed you two at another party together. It's the question of the week. So are you two dating?"

Lance was instantly less amused by Rosa. It was because he went blank in response to her question about Allura. Were they dating? The past few nights ran through his mind and they'd all had a date-like feel to them, but they were with Allura. Allura who he'd spend similar time with, danced with, escorted to plenty of other parties, without wondering about if it was a date or not. But why was he wondering about it now? Because, no. No of course he and Allura weren't dating. Right? Right. It was an easy answer, the answer was no.

"No," he said to Rosa.

"You took too long, I think you just lied to me."

This was his karma, he realized for jumping off that cliff, for worrying everybody but going through with the crazy plan anyway. This was his punishment, or the first of many small but crazy, annoying little punishments. This blunt, strange girl, who was related to Farla asking him crazy question after question.

"Or were you and Keith Quinn together and that's why you're so mad at him?"

Lance laughed again, he could not laugh, "Where do you come up with this stuff?"

"I read a lot," Rosa said.

"I think Farla should check what you're reading."

"She does. She's forcing me to join the guardian school. I don't want to guard the flowers. Flowers, flowers, flowers..."

Lance nodded and it turned out he'd gotten her on the one subject she could stay on for more than a few seconds because she ranted about how just because she was a Lyran didn't mean her entire life had to revolve around a flower, it's pollen, it's honey or it's seeds. She had other dreams, blah, blah, blah.

By the time he entered the control room he had splitting headache and knew that Rosa wanted to try every single profession that existed that didn't have anything to do with flowers.

Farla walked up to them, she flashed him a look that was a mixture of relief and anger - which worked fine for their undercover story, but Lance caught her almost stepping to close to him and he shook his head. "Rosa, thanks for finding him. I'm glad you're not dead, and I'm equally glad Keith escaped," she aded. "Rosa, let's go, we aren't needed here. Where are Fred and Wyeth?"

"Hiding, Wyeth went all weird when he saw him, it's cause he's in love with him I think. He said you broke his nose, did you? I'll believe you hate him if you broke his nose?"

Farla turned back and looked at Lance.

Lance winked.

She shook her head, and turned back to Rosa. "He deserved it, let's go," Farla pushed her out the door. Lance couldn't help watching because he knew it was the last he'd see of Farla in person, for possibly a long long time. She looked back too. They just looked for a minute and then both nodded slightly before turning back to what they had to do.

Lance walked to Dennison, who was at the tactical station. "Any trace of his ship?" he asked her.

She jumped a bit at his sudden presence but didn't miss a beat. "No, sir. I don't know how he did it. He got out of the magnetic pull, then their is the usual traces a ship leaves and then the footprint vanishes before you can even guess a trajectory. I've never seen that, sir."

Lance sighed, they weren't teaching these kids anything. "First thing you learn when you don't want to be followed is how to hide the footprints you leave behind. It's easy as pie, you should've been taught that in the Academy in your Pilot 101 class."

Dennison shook her head. "Commander Fewster never covered it, sir. What do we do now?"

"Where is Holder?"

"He went out with the last group to look for you, sir. He's on his way back in, he feels bad about not catching Quinn. He couldn't even find him."

"He shouldn't feel bad," Lance said. "I couldn't hold my own either."

"You did great sir, he just kept pinning you into the railing, he was trying to get you over it. I can't believe..." she trailed off.

Lance bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from grinning. He'd hoped it looked the opposite from the outside, not that he's take Dennison's word for it. He'd done to his best, to actually force Keith to push him toward the railing as much as possible. It had to look like it was Keith's strategy working and not Lance throwing the fight. "You can say what're thinking, Dennison."

"It's just, he was your friend and now he tried to kill you?"

"He's doing what he thinks he needs to do. He has a higher cause. They always were important to Keith."

"More important than friendships?" Dennison asked.

Lance shook his head, he didn't want to lie to this girl, she had the makings to be a good soldier. He searched for the right words. "Sometimes you have to make hard choices and the people you care about, they won't understand them."

"Like Lady Farla, she was your friend, wasn't she?"

Lance nodded.

"When Holder gets back, you two ready the ship for take off, I'm going to go check on Thrace."

"Yes, sir."


	13. Chapter 13

Lance walked into his bosses office, General DeRosa, head down with a damn file from the infirmary. Wade had told him to report to the infirmary after he and Thrace had debriefed him on what happened on Lyra.

DeRosa looked up, looked from the dinner he was eating at his desk, which he usually did. Scuttlebutt was that DeRosa had thought when he'd taken over running the Academy he'd thought his work life would calm down enough for him to have more time to see his kids and wife. Three years later, he still barely saw them. "Larkin, is Wade taking you off my roster and putting you on Special Ops full time yet?"

"No sir, Doc's decided I need a week off with no say," he handed him the file.

"Broken nose, still healing scars from shooting five days ago, major bruising and lacerations from a fight and tumble off a cliff..." DeRosa sighed. "Fine, I'll have Thrace."

"No sir."

"What?"

"Not Thrace."

DeRosa's eyebrows rose. "Wade prefers her, much like you, wondering if I might lose her more special ops assignments after this."

"Not if Wade reads my evaluation report on her performance he won't. I had two days with my cadets, they had it easy with her and took it as an excuse to go soft. She can barely fly herself, if you ask me? I want Tech Sargent Hunk Reyes to take over my classes."

"Tech Sargent Reyes?" DeRosa said. "He's a wrench monkey, Larkin."

"He's a pilot. A damn good one sir, saved my life a time or two. It's him, or Tech Sargent Bingham, sir. I know they can fly, I know what they can do, I know they won't let the cadets walk all over them."

"Tech Sargent Bingham is the same age as most of the cadets, they won't want to listen to him," DeRosa muttered. "Fine, Tech Sargent Reyes. I knew sooner or later you'd want someone else beside Thrace to do your subbing. You going to be on base for your time off?"

"No sir, I'll be going home, to Arus," Lance grinned at the thought. "Fair weather, good food, and my own bed, sir."

"The beautiful princess, she doesn't hurt either," DeRosa said with a smirk.

Lance eyes narrowed, he knew DeRosa didn't mean anything untoward but his protective instincts about Allura were second nature, it was like breathing; they'd been ingrained in those first months on Arus as they trained her and they themselves got used to the Lions and working with her. "She's a good friend, sir."

"Okay, Larkin, dismissed. See you in a week."

Outside of DeRosa's office he found himself yawning, but he turned in the opposite direction of the dorms, he had to track down Hunk. He wanted to tell him what was up, what he wanted to him to focus on with the cadets; and the few students he wanted Hunk's opinion about if he needed to be harder on them, or if they just weren't able to cut it.

He found Hunk with Pidge in Pidge's favorite hang out, a coffee shop just off base. Pidge was on the 3-d computer playing some battle game with somebody and there was a crowd around them. Hunk was sitting on a stool, watching with one eye, a huge pinwheel cookie in his other hand and talking to the barista whose number he was still trying to get.

Lance walked by the game, patting Pidge on the back in hello. Pidge, turned to see who touched him and his eyes widened, and he fell off the stool. Lance stopped still and the guy on the other side of the board, yahooed as he killed Pidge's avatar.

"You're alive!" Pidge muttered, as Lance helped him.

"Well, yeah, I figured you got the message. I didn't have time to send one to everyone so sent one to Allura and asked her to let everyone know,"

"Didn't get it," said Pidge.

"Yet, here you are playing games,"

"Uh, well, we were pretty sure you were fine. The statistics were in your favor given the..." Pidge looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "voltcom."

"Uh, huh. Okay, go get a second round with that guy, I need to talk to Hunk, he's going to sub for me."

"Sub? Wait, Wade's sending you out again?"

"No. Doc made me take medical leave."

"For the nose?"

"He says I haven't 100% healed from being shot, and I'm covered in bruising and small lacerations from fighting with Keith and the fall; it's lame, I'm fine but whatever. I'm going to go to Arus."

"Good plan," Pidge said. "Hunk and I will keep our eyes open here."

Lance nodded. "I know, you will - see what you can dig up on a scientist called Dr. David Early and his connection to Wade, will you? And what he's doing with the Rose of Lyra. Also, check out Planet Xios and it's prince," Lance touched his nose unconsciously.

"Will do, by the way, Lance?"

"What?"

"You look like my old beagle Bandit, he had black circles around his eyes too," Pidge grinned then duck backed into the crowd around them to get back on the game.

Lance groaned and walked over to Hunk and the barista. "Hello," he said smiling and slung his arm around Hunk's shoulders, and read the woman's namecard. "So, Sylvie, what's your phone number?"

"That depends, who's asking for it?" Sylvie asked, her eyes darting between Lance and Hunk who was trying not to choke on his cookie.

"Hunk here needs it, I believe in a month his favorite Monster Trucks will be back in the city and he needs someone to go with. Because I flat out refuse to go, again."

Sylvie smiled. "Well, then, I think..." she pulled a pen out from behind her ear, and grabbed an napkin from the counter behind her. "Here, you make sure he doesn't lose it, I'll go get him some cocoa to wash down the cookie, what would you like?"

"A macchiato, lots of espresso."

"Sure thing."

Hunk stared at the napkin Lance was holding, then at Lance. "Why, what, give me?"

Lance handed him the number, and moved onto the stool she'd vacated. "I keep telling you, you take too long, you keep getting to know them and never get their numbers or ask them anywhere. They start thinking you're just a nice guy who is being nice. Not the nice guy they take home to mom."

Hunk shrugged. "Thanks man, nice. I have her number!" Hunk fist pumped. "And, hey, welcome back in one piece. Obviously, you haven't seen Princess yet."

Lance gave him a look. "No, why?"

"She was so worried, she didn't register that Keith got away when I told her," Hunk said. "Haven't seen her that mad since the last time Nanny tried to spank her," Hunk laughed heartily, and started choking on his last bite of his cookie.

Just as Sylvie walked up with the two mugs, she smiled at Hunk and mouthed thank you to Lance, then walked away. Hunk watched her walk away for a bit then turned to Lance. "Really, you got her pretty mad, Lance, I wouldn't want to be you next time you see her."

Lance shook his head, not believing Hunk for one second that Allura had been worried enough about him to not register Keith getting away, that was inconceivable. Allura worried, it was what she did, but he'd calmed her down, she hadn't looked that worried when she signed off - had she? She wouldn't hurt him anyway, at least he didn't think she would. Maybe he never should have taught her that high kick?

"Never mind that, I can handle Allura," Lance said, after taking a long gulp of his coffee. "I got put on medical leave, doc thinks I need to rest, I requested you as my sub and DeRosa agreed."

"Me?" Hunk said, eyes widening. "Teach your classes. Whoa, Lance, I don't know if I can be that much of a hardass."

Lance laughed. "You don't have to be. Just keep to my plan, it's all written down in the folder in my office that says For The Sub. I write it down, I doubt Thrace has ever looked at it. Also in my desk, middle drawer are three files on three cadets who are falling behind even when I'm keeping an eye on things. I need to know if you think they just can't cut it, or they need more time, more pushing. They are all still soft from my last trip out, from Thrace's idiocy, so you have some work cut out for you."

Hunk nodded. "Yeah, all right. Sure. Uh, why me?"

Lance wanted to hit the big lug, for a minute, he shook his head instead and clamped a hand on Hunk's soldier. "Because after me, you and Pidge are two best pilot's in this place, Hunk. And come on, you got to know that," he squeezed Hunk's shoulder.

Hunk nodded then smiled. "Yeah, it's just only time I get to fly much these days is when we're on Arus. I'll make sure to get your cadets back into shape for you at least, Lance."

"Thanks man," Lance finished off his coffee. "Okay, I told Allura, I'd stop by when I sent her my message."

"Better bring a shield or something, or she'll make that nose of yours even more crooked than Haggar's was."

Lance glared at him.

"It's almost there, but not quite, but I think Princess is just mad enough to pack a wallop...straight on your honker." Hunk emphasized his words with a punch into his own hand.

"Go talk to your girl," Lance muttered, shaking his head and walking away.

~~~~.~~~~

_Princess Allura_

_ Allura - Lance said I should drop you a message from time to time. I don't really know what to say. I thought I might find a lead to the lion on Lyra; all i know is the scientist and wade have some sort of connection. You guys are probably in a better positions to track that down. I have a few other leads to follow, I'll be in touch. _

_ Allura, I'm glad your okay. I saw you on the InterGalaticWeb a little bit ago, in a blue dress, you looked happy and beautiful. _

_Keith _

_Keith _

_Thank you, it's one of my favorite dresses. If Nanny saw it, she'd try to lock me up, let alone let people take video. She might send me a letter scolding me, sometimes her grandnieces bring her pictures of me they cut from magazines. _

_Lance is safe by the way, though I suppose like Pidge and Hunk, once you got the anger out of your system you felt safe in his landing on his feet, didn't you? I was the only one worrying. I guess someone has to. _

_Please do promise me you'll be safe out there. _

_Always Allura_

Allura heard her door chime as she sent out the encrypted message to Keith. She stood up, crossed the room of her suite quickly and opened her door. Then crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at Lance and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uh, hi?" Lance said stepping forward.

Allura continued to block him.

"Are you going to let me in?"

"I don't know," Allura snapped.

"You're mad?"

Allura pursed her lips, she felt heat rising up her neck, and she hardened her glare. "You could have killed yourself."

Lance sighed. "I didn't. Farla, shouldn't have worried you."

"It was an insane plan."

"It worked."

"Keith made it clear in his missive he doesn't want us risking our own lives to help him."

"Keith knows better to think anyone us will follow that command," Lance muttered and Allura had to force herself not to agree with him, because she was mad at him and she wasn't about to lose this argument until she got him to agree to not risk his life - for at least a few months. That seemed reasonable, she was sure that reasonable... He shouldn't have so many reasons to be risking his life, anyway, they were at peace right now. She huffed out a puff of air, that turned into a squeal.

Lance had her by her waist, his hands gripping her and he lifted her up, turned her to the side, put her back down on her feet and walked past her, closing the door. "I need to sit," he said with yawn. "I feel like I fell over a cliff," he laughed with a wink.

"That's not funny!"

"It's kind of funny."

Allura sighed, crossed the room and sat down next to him. "Please tell me that Wade has no more special missions for you?"

"Nope. In fact after the debrief, Wade ordered me to infirmary and I am now on forced medical leave for a week."

"Thank goodness," Allura said, her neck muscles relaxing as she shifted closer to him on the couch and moved his arm over her shoulders so she sit closer. "You've looked tired since the first moment I saw you, and I know you've gotten no sleep since we heard about Keith."

"He send you a note, and I don't mean just the one yelling about how we shouldn't lay down our lives," Lance asked.

"He did," Allura said, "I just sent him one back." She grew quiet next to him for moment, wanting to ask him why he told Keith to write to her and thinking she knew the answer, and she didn't want to hear it. "You're coming home, right? With me?"

"Yeah, thought it'd be the best place to rest up," Lance said.

"Good, you need the fresh Arusian air, not that Earth isn't lovely, but you have to go so far out of the city to get any fresh air. I much prefer Arus, much more open spaces."

"Me too," Lance said. "And no lying," he yawned.

Allura nodded. "No double meanings to everything we say to everyone."

"Uh huh," Lance murmured.

"Do you want something to eat, I can call up a late dinner for us?" Allura asked after another few moments of silence, that ended with her own stomach growling and reminding her she'd been too worried to eat for most of the day.

Lance stayed silent.

"Lance?" She sat up from where she'd snuggled in against him, finding comfort in his solidity and the fact he was there. He was asleep, his breathing deep and slow.

She smiled, carefully extracted herself from his arm, and went into her room. She grabbed the blanket she'd brought with her from her room in the Castle, the one Nanny had made for her when she was a little girl. It was the perfect blanket, not to heavy, not to light, and soft. She put on the back of the couch at first, then bent down and untied his boots. As she picked up his feet, she grinned as he just moved with her direction in his sleep; he and Pidge were always the easiest to carry out when they'd been hit. They somehow never completely lost consciousness, they knew when their bodies were being moved.

It made getting Lance on the couch in a more comfortable position with a decorative couch cushion as a pillow much easier than it would've been otherwise. Once she had him settled Allura placed her blanket over him and shook her head. He had more bruises, probably from Keith's fist, rocks, both, but she noticed the bruises around his eyes from the broken nose were fading. She agreed with the doctor, Lance needed sleep. She bent down and carefully kissed him on his forehead, her hand threading through his thick hair.

As she walked away from the couch her stomach growled again, but she didn't want to wake Lance up with having room service coming up to her room. She walked over to the mini-refrigerator that came with the room and opened it. There was strawberry ice cream. She knew she really shouldn't, but it was there and she was hungry, so she grabbed it, a plastic spoon that was on top of the fridge and then found the book she was reading and went into her room.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes: **I know I have mentioned Larmina already and said she was 13 and had some lines about that. And said something about her backstory - but I'm a) de-aging her now and b) changing the backstory. Please forgive me.

And thank you for all the reviews :-) Now onto the Story:

~~~~14~~~~

Lance shrugged on his leather bomber jacket; it had been his family since War World II, he'd found it in the attic when he was sixteen and fallen in love. He felt sometimes that it had brought him luck. He and Keith had met after he'd found it, he'd known of Keith around the Academy. Even had a silent competition going on with him. But they'd never been in the same classes, until it was time to get in a cockpit. Before he knew it, fighting out between the number two and one spots in the class they'd also become friends. Friends like neither of them had had before.

Then came graduation, and assignments. And they were on the same starfleet, under the same Captain. Then Keith was given a command, for a special assignment, and he'd picked Lance. They'd done two assignments with that team, Sven, Hunk and Pidge with them. Before they were sent to Arus because they were the best Special Ops team the Galaxy Garrison - as it was called at the time - had.

All the while Lance had held onto the jacket, found comfort, home, and the more practical warmth. He closed his eyes as it fit over his shoulders, the smell of the old leather his nostrils, and he held his breath. He focused on the weight, it felt like a comforting hand, he held in the smell because it reminded him of home, of his father, and his grandfather who both were always wearing leather. The comforting touch his mother, who was always there ready to steady him, or shut him up. His missed them but he never let himself dwell on the fact they were gone, it hurt too much but he'd remember for the moment of a held breath and then move on.

Breathing out, he opened his eyes and glanced in his mirror and frowned at his reflection. The bruises around his eyes were fading, but he had a few new bruises, one on his left cheek and one on his chin, they were small but purple. He sighed, fingers going up and touching the scratch that was on his right cheek probably from cliff rock. He looked like hell, and he felt a bit close to hell too. When he'd woken up on the couch in Allura's suite, his legs had been hanging off the couch and he'd been about to fall of it. It hadn't been a smart move falling asleep there, but what could he do. It'd been 0400 when he woke up, so he'd taken Allura's blanket, her favorite blanket - that woman what was he going do with her - back into her room and found she'd fallen asleep on top of her covers, with a book on one side of her an empty pint of ice cream on the other. He'd thrown out the ice cream, dogeared the book for her, and covered her up with the blanket, then kissed her cheek goodnight and left.

He'd slept another two hours in his own bed, then gotten up early to pack for his trip to Arus. He was ready now, he had ten minutes to get to the launch pad where the Royal Arusian Shuttle was waiting.

Both times he'd woken up he ached every where. A hot shower later, he still ached everywhere. Bruised ribs, where he was shot felt a bit tingly and hot, and his neck and shoulders just felt tight. He'd had a hell of a couple weeks, maybe the doctor had a point about the time off? He just hated leaving his cadets in a lurch again - at least this time he was leaving them in a good hands.

Throwing his packed duffel bag over his shoulder, he ignored the twinge in his muscles and opened the door to his room and almost walked smack into Pidge. Both of them stepped back and shook their heads.

"Close call," Pidge muttered, fixing his glasses that had gone askew with the fast movement. He held up a file. "Some reading for you and Allura."

Lance grabbed it with his free hand. "What is it?" he asked glancing at the manila folder.

"Did some quick and dirty searching last night, on both David Early and that Prince Seth of Xios. Didn't find much but on Early yet, but the standard crap that he himself put on his website, tooting his own horn. But Prince Seth of Xios - I got past the superficial layers that were put out there about the planet since it came to the fore and joined the Alliance. And I if I'm reading the chronicles of the civil war that is still raging on that planet right, I think Prince Seth might a usurper of that throne...it's just I'm not sure from who? And there are two families and there are a lot of both and it seems a complicated hierarchy. Maybe Allura can make sense of it?"

"Huh? Good job, see if you can get past the surface on Early too," Lance asked. He closed his door. "Tell Hunk I know he'll do a great job," he said as he and Pidge both headed toward toward the elevator.

"He was sweating bullets when he walked into the first lesson," Pidge laughed. "But I told him you wouldn't have picked him if you didn't think he could do it."

Pidge yawned.

Lance nudged him. "Stop pulling too many all nighters, okay? It catches up to you."

Pidge shrugged. "I want to do anything I can get us back on Arus and in the lions, and fast."

"I know," Lance frowned.

"Don't say it," Pidge muttered, looking away.

"Say what?"

"Both you and Allura, whenever Hunk and I mention getting this finished fast get that look on your faces. That, that intuitive look of you guys get, if Keith was here he'd have it too."

"Oh that look," Lance shrugged. "I won't say it then," he said.

"You don't think it's going to be anytime soon at all do you?"

Lance stayed silent but then he shook his head. "No. Not anytime soon, Pidge, sorry. Wade's playing it close to the vest, he has Black Lion, the keys to the rest and he's patient."

Pidge grumbled. "Wish I knew how scientifically qualify intuition."

"If anyone could figure it out, it'd be you Genius. I mean it about the all nighters though, okay?"

"Well, with you gone I won't be getting double orders," Pidge winked as the elevator opened on the floor to his room. "And I got an hour to kill, so I'll take a nap. I already said goodbye to the Princess. So, see you in a week."

"See you, Shorty." Lance grinned watching Pidge walk off, thinking that a week on Arus without him or Hunk was going to feel weird. The three of them usually flew home together on a small ship they'd chipped in on together and fixed up.

Soon enough Lance found himself on the tarmac where the Royal ship was going through preflight, the Arusian pilot's, Rocco and Wynne were taking one last look under panels, double or triple checking things if he knew them - and he did. Allura was still standing outside the shuttle, holding what he knew had to be only one of her bags, because it was too small not be her clothes. It probably held her books, and the presents she'd brought for Larmina and a handful of others who worked at the Castle.

Her back was too him, so he folded up the manila file Pidge gave him, and stuffed into the inside pocket of his jacket. Made his way up to Allura, then covered her eyes with his hand. "One guess," he said into her left ear.

"Oh," Allura said, then she paused for awhile. "Hmm, leather, light scent of sandalwood soap, sounds kind of cute - it must be...Hunk!"

"Hunk?" Lance shouted, almost really offended, as Allura turned toward him smiling and hugged him hello. "Hunk? What is wrong with you woman?" He squeezed her tight anyway though, taking her bag from her, eyes widening at the weight. "What the hell did you buy Larmina? Weights?"

"Actually, that is exactly what I got her. Some five pound hand-sized weights. She saw the ones Hunk got me, for my last birthday. They don't make them on Arus - yet anyway."

"She's going to be one kickass 11 year old," Lance laughed.

"She's 11 going on 22," Allura sighed, trying to take the bag back.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking my bag back."

Lance shook his head. "I'll take it in."

"I can carry it in, Lance. Plus it's heavy and you're on medical leave."

"I can carry a bag, Allura."

"Give it to me," she pulled.

"Will you stop with the strong woman act with me, I already know you are," Lance yelled.

"Only if you stop with the macho man routine because I know damn well you must be hurting all over today," Allura shouted back, then she poked where where he'd been shot, making him wince, drop her bag and nearly drop his own. "See, now good," she grabbed her own bag again with a grin and walked onto the ship.

Lance bit the inside of his cheek, so he wouldn't swear at her for playing dirty, then decided why the hell not yell at her about it. "That was playing dirty, Allura, real dirty!"

"Wonder who I learned it from," she looked back with a wink. "Are you coming on board."

He tossed her his duffel, which she caught with a slight oomph and a large step back. He grinned, victoriously. "I wanna talk to Wynne and Rocco first."

Allura sighed. "You're off duty."

"Allura?"

"Okay, okay, be an anal retentive pilot who hates being flown. Just don't drive them too crazy, okay? I'll see you inside."

"I am not anal retentive," Lance muttered, walking away to get a report from the two pilots to make sure everything was ship shape.

~~~~.~~~~

Allura watched from where she sat as Lance boarded the Royal Arusian Shuttle last, following Rocco and Wynne, asking them what flight plan they planned to follow, of they expected any meteor showers to be in their way and a bunch of other questions she didn't quite catch as he followed them into the cockpit. She rolled her eyes and sat back. She'd give him five minutes, and if he wasn't out of there in five minutes she'd walk in and pull him out by the scruff of his neck like a bad kitten.

He was supposed to be resting, not bossing around her people; even if technically he still held a commanding title over anyone in the Arusian Army. Maybe she should order him on medical leave officially too, that way he'd have to behave? It was a thought, but she really didn't want to undermine him. He was just completely anal retentive about flying. They all were, except her. Keith, Lance and Sven were the worst. When someone else was at the controls, they all fidgeted and came up with excuses to check on the pilot and backseat pilot. More than once both Keith and Lance had kicked pilots out of their seats and taken over. Pidge and Hunk fidgeted and seemed uncomfortable but not quite as anal retentive about it all, Allura put it down to them both having one other interest that was higher than flying to them: mechanics and science. For her, she loved to fly, she did, but she'd learned for necessity, for the survival of her people.

She shook her head and pulled her book out of her bag. And started to flip through it, trying to remember where she left off when she realized a page had been dogeared. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to the page, it was where she had found her eyes drooping closed, but she never would have dogeared the page, she had bookmarks for a reason. This was one of her mother's books, from her mother's mother's library, it was pristine and now it had a dogeared page.

Standing up she stalked with the book toward the cockpit and stepped through the door. "Lance."

"Yeah, just a minute,"

"No. Now."

"Allura, in a minute."

"That's Princess Allura, and now," she ordered, her voice low before turning around and walking away.


	15. Chapter 15

~~~~15~~~~

Lance looked at the empty space where Allura had been standing and then turned back to the two pilots. "Uh, did I hear her right?"

Wynne nodded. Rocco just turned to the console and started up the shuttle, Lance took that to mean he was staying out of the Princess's private matters. Lance met Wynne's gaze again and the woman just shook her head and said. "On your own, Commander. Besides I'm as clueless as you are as to why she pulled royal rank on you of all people."

Lance ran his hands through his hair in a nervous gesture, trying to figure out how Allura went to being fine with him to being angry enough to call him out on him not calling her Princess. She liked that he never called her Princess, she'd never said so, but once he'd dropped the royal monicker she'd never once corrected him, or asked him to add it back. Not even in front of Coran and Nanny, no matter how often they coughed or nearly choked on their disapproval.

He found her sitting, spine straight as an arrow in the main room of the shuttle. Despite wearing casual clothing she looked every bit the Princess. All her royal blood, her divine grace and the royal education she had received on display. Lance swallowed.

"Princess Allura," he said, trying and completely failing not sound sarcastic on the princess. "Uh, what's up?"

"Can you explain this?" she asked holding up her book to him, opened to the page where she had left off the night before by falling asleep.

Lance looked from her to the book. "It's a book, Arusian Fairy Tales, I believe, written in Ancient Aruisan. You were reading it last night and you fell asleep."

Allura nodded. "Go on."

Go on, Lance thought, go on. He stared at it some more. "What? Did you get ice cream on it? Cause I can't see how that'd be my fault," he muttered.

"Take the book. Examine the page before you, then all the other pages. And know I have read it more than once and tell me what you notice, Lance," Allura stated, her voice that eerie calm near whisper it got when she was deadly mad.

Lance took the book, he looked at where she left off. What little he could gather from the Arusian writing it was a story of a lost girl meeting a wise man in the desert. He closed the book and flipped open the cover, on the inside in saw in neat yet childish writing a name he didn't know, then underneath that in an other childish hand Allura's mother's name. So it was an old family book that survived the war. Lance smiled at the knowledge of that it was good to have heirlooms. He knew Allura didn't have many, especially on her mother's side. He randomly flipped through a few more pages, noticing a bit of a theme with the younger heroes in the tales meeting older characters in the forests, or even under water, or a cave near the volcano. Arusian lore was often entangled with the planet itself.

Getting interested, and feeling the ship starting to move he sat down next to Allura and flipped to the first story in the book and started to try to read. The back of his mind still trying to figure out what it was he was supposed to be figuring out. The first story was about a bored young prince who wanted to go swimming with all other children in the town. But his parents and the royal advisor's wouldn't let him. Lance chuckled, because it was so familiar. He flipped another pristine page, impressed at how well such an old book was standing up to test time... "Crap," he said the book dropping to his lap.

He turned toward Allura, who was watching him. She looked less mad, but he didn't know why because now he was mad at himself for being so unthinkingly stupid. "I'm sorry, I am. I shouldn't have just turned down the corner like that. I wasn't thinking, it's all I can say."

"Your Ancient Arusian is pretty good," Allura said in response.

"I guess, I mean I get only every other word, but it's enough for the gist," he said, handing her back the book. "Allura, really I'm sorry."

Allura sighed. "It's just...it's the only book I have that was my mother's. It was her mother's. I probably overreacted." She turned her head away.

Lance reached out, gently took her chin with his hand, forcing her turn back. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears. "It's not an overreaction, it's special, it survived so much and you should treasure it."

Allura smiled and a few of the tears escaped her eyes, Lance caught a few with his thumb on the right side of her face. "Don't laugh, but whenever I read it, I imagine reading it to my future children. I read it to Larmina, sometimes I even pretend...why do I always tell you the most embarrassing things?"

"It's my charm," Lance grinned. "I'm sorry I ruined it."

Allura shook her head. "You didn't but apology accepted. I'm sorry I made you call me Princess, I never want to hear that out of your mouth again," she laughed. "I actually wish I could get Hunk and Pidge to stop."

"Order them?" Lance said.

"Oh that's great," Allura laughed.

"Tell them you prefer just Allura, from your friends."

"Family, they are more than friends. All of you are," Allura said reaching up and touching his face. "Lance, I..."

There was a chime. "Commander Larkin, we're coming up to that meteor shower, it does look denser than I expected, could you come to cockpit?"

"Hold that thought?" Lance asked, for once his life hating that he was being called into the cockpit. There was something in Allura's expression and her voice, he wanted to know what she was about to say.

"Yes. Oh, Lance, If he thinks he can handle it, don't force him out of the seat, Rocco's a good pilot?"

Lance nodded but told her he couldn't make any promises.

~~~~.~~~~

"No promises, Baby," Lance said, but with a nod showing her he had heard her request, then he disappeared.

Allura reached into her bag, until she found a handkerchief she had tucked away in one of the extra pockets and used it to wipe off her cheeks. She'd gotten way to emotional about her mother's book, she knew that but what really surprised her was how quickly her anger at Lance just vanished. It didn't matter that her rage at been irrational, she'd been irrationally angry at people her entire life and it never vanished easily. She could push it aside to work together for the greater good, to fight along side someone, to work out differences, but the anger it would stay. If she rationally angry with someone her anger could last for far too long, and she took great pains as grew older to learn to forgive, and move on. To let go of the hurt and the pain - because that was always where her anger stemmed from.

She'd felt a sense of hurt at one of her most treasured heirlooms being creased, and it fueled her up and made her mad. How dare he touch and damage something that was Arusian Royal property - like she cared it was royal property. She cared that it was her mother's, she cared that she had memories of Nanny reading it to her - and telling her how her mother would from this book to her every night since the day she was born. She cared that when Larmina had come to live at the Castle that the first way Allura had found to get the young scared orphaned toddler to fall asleep had been to read to her from her mother's book. It held a past, a present and Allura did hope a future. She wanted it unmarred.

How she thought a dogeared page meant it was marred, Allura didn't know. But watching Lance looking through the book, she knew his action hadn't harmed anything, it just set off a fear about her unknown future. He'd held the book with interest, he'd looked at the words, mouthing out the Arusian's sounds silently - unconsciously - as he figured out the minutes. She could see him thinking, see as he comprehended something and watch his reaction to it. He was intrigued, he was seeing things in the stories as he randomly flipped through the pages.

Then he'd sat down next to her, seconds before take off, and turned the book to the first fairy tale. She watched him as he started the tale about the Prince Abdon, she knew the story by heart. He chuckled just before he flipped the page and she knew why, he'd understood the part of how the young boy wasn't allowed to be a normal young boy like everyone else... It was tradition Allura hoped to change.

By the time Lance said, 'crap' Allura had already forgiven him because she knew him, and that of course he regretted the action that hurt her. He hadn't done anything but fold a corner of paper down. He'd done it to help her out, by marking her place, it'd been a good deed. He had no idea the importance of the book before hand, or how much it meant to her, how much power she'd given it over the years.

He knew now though, she'd let it all spill out, along with the tears she couldn't hold back, though she'd tried. His fingers under her chin, his thumb grazing her cheek, catching the tears... She had felt that same charge between them that she kept feeling, that she know wasn't going to go away, she heard herself saying that Pidge and Hunk were family to her, and she knew inside her heart meant they were like the brothers she had never known. But when she said Lance was more than just her friend, something different fluttered through her and made her shiver and shake. She'd touched him to know he was real and because she knew she was going ask him if he felt what she felt

If he felt the same charge she did. If he felt scared by it too? Was he feeling what she felt, that there was no turning back, she wanted to see where this led?

Allura's heart pounded and she picked her book back up, went back to the story of the lost girl and the wise man in the desert but she couldn't concentrate. She could feel ship's movements under her feet, the vibrations of the engines, the thrusters and boosters, the way it was moving. They were maneuvering through the meteor show mentioned but with an ease of movement that told her Lance was at the controls and not Rocco. She stood got up onto her knees on the couch and opened the shade on the window and saw that they were indeed in the middle of a very dense, very beautiful meteor shower. The meteorites were all blue rocks, every shade imaginable, icy and bright and close together. Allura wasn't worried though, she'd seen Lance fly through worse, but she understood now why Rocco had been wary, he was more used to clear space, and clear skies.

Watching the meteor shower, helped her to calm down her heartbeat but it did nothing to change her resolve. Something had shifted between her and Lance, she knew he knew it too, and it was time to stop pretending. Like Lance had said last night there was no pretending on Arus, no lies. They had to face up the charge between them.

Lance walked through the door, he seemed taller and his shoulder's seemed broader and Allura found herself standing up. He was walking over to him but she stood and met him halfway there. Allura reached out and touched his face again. "I have been holding that thought?" she said leaning closer, going up onto her tiptoes with her free arm sliding around to the base his neck.

Lance moved his body space becoming a part of Allura's body space. She saw that his eyes had that glint to them that she could only describe as dangerous. Yet she wasn't afraid - not really - if she was truly honest. Plus she knew she mirrored the same danger back at him.

"What is the thought?" Lance asked

"Do you, do you feel," she whispered.

Allura didn't finish the question because their lips brushed together, from her leaning toward him and him leaning toward her. It was a soft brush of lips against lips, followed by a slightly longer chaste kiss, then yet another one. Then their lips were pressed together, moving together, tongues moving out to seek out tastes and find out the textures of the other's lips and tongue. There was a push and pull, mouths parting only for them both to lean back in for more.


	16. Chapter 16

~~~~16~~~~

Lance slid his hand up the back of Allura's neck into her hair, pulling her closer deepening the kiss. He felt shaky, nervous, he could hear his heart beating in his ears, and his legs felt unsteady. He backed up, easily moving Allura with him, he landed on the couch and she moved with him, straddling his lap.

His hand was still in her hair, his other hand was on her hip and he squeezed it, as he leaned his mouth up toward hers again. She let a small sound part sigh, part moan as their mouths touched again, one of her hands falling from where were her own were around his neck to his chest. Her touch was light but Lance felt every second of it, through the old worn-thin academy shirt he'd tossed on that morning.

He'd imagined this a million times, kissing Allura. Having her on his lap, straddling him, above him, her hands running over his chest, pushing under his shirt. Touching his skin like she was doing now, making his breath shudder in his lungs. He'd imagined, kissing her jawline and licking down her neck, then following the same trail back up to find her mouth again. His hands on her waist, in her hair, pushing up her shirt, unhooking her bra. He'd imagined it all, and it was all happening and it was better than the fantasies, because the sounds she made were more realistic, the feel of her was more real than fantasy could ever create. Most of the energy current that was between them, that had been sparking between them for days was feeding off of their kisses, their touches, their exploration of skin.

Lance whispered her name into her ear and then kissed her cheek, then her mouth again, pulling back, then touching her lips again. Allura smiled, pulled back, leaned back down and started to push away his jacket. Lance let his eyes close, kissed her, tangled up her long hair as he grabbed at it pulling her closer to kiss her deeply before letting go only long enough to take off her jacket. He'd never expected this, to have a lap full of Allura. To know the weight of her mouth against his, the feel of her hands under his shirt, especially to be seeing her about to pull off her her shirt. It'd all had only been regulated to fantasy, a fantasy he'd even buried and rarely pulled out of his mind because of...

"Keith."

Allura dropped the hem of her t-shirt, confusion marring her features. "What?"

He'd said that out loud then, damn it, great way to kill a mood. "I just... I was remembering that...it's just that. I've been feeling, well, this," he ran his thumbs over the bare skin that was exposed at Allura's waist where his hands had settled after tossing away his jacket. "I have, which is what you were asking? It's not going to go away, at least I don't think it's going anywhere, this pull I have to want to be near you, to touch you," Lance closed his eyes and tried to find the right words. "I've had it before."

"Before?"

"Before, back on Arus, there was a time, when you and I were getting closer, as friends. I felt this pull towards you, I know you didn't feel the same, not then anyway. I also knew Keith, Keith felt something about you and you felt something about him - Allura? You two never said anything but something did happen before he left, I mean the avoidance spoke loads and I just always thought you were love with Keith, and he's my best friend and I have to..."

"You have to ask," Allura said, the confusion fading away and turning to something akin to wisdom and compassion. It took Lance's breath away how beautiful she looked and he held her tighter in his grip without realizing it.

"Yeah?" he said, not having anymore words.

~~~~.~~~~

It was so unexpected - but it wasn't at all, it felt so easy in the circle of Lance's arms, pressed against him, he tasted familiar, he smelled like home, but felt new, it felt electrifying. The different new energy that had been buzzing around every word spoken, every arm held, every hand held, every touch, and every time they locked gazes. Nothing had really changed between them, maybe they'd touched more, maybe they'd never held hands before, but they were always talking, always laughing, and they were friends, they were always close friends - when asked she always called Lance her best friend. No one else. Lance.

Nanny had once tried to ground her in her room for telling a magazine reporter that, but as usual the punishment hadn't been able to stick because of an attack on the Castle. Allura could never believe there was anything wrong with being friends with someone as good as Lance. His sarcasm, his moods, his attitude they were just a cover for someone who cared about things just as deeply as they all did, but especially her, especially Keith...

Keith was why she wasn't feeling lost in Lance's touch anymore, why she hadn't taken off her shirt, why he had only taken off his jacket, why her heart was still pounding in her chest having trouble slowing down from her nerves, from the attraction, from want, but knowing Lance was right to bring up Keith all the same.

After all she had just meant to talk about this, not end up on the couch, staring into Lance's lust blown eyes, feeling heat pooling in her stomach and a flush on her neck and face. She had wanted to talk about the change between them before they acted on it - but they'd acted and it'd felt so right. Which meant now when she was faced with the question of Keith, the question she'd been pushing away from her own thoughts all week. Even sending him messages, and praying for his escape from Wade's clutches, she hadn't let herself really think about Keith and herself not for long. Not when so much of her time was focused on Lance, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about Lance. It'd been easy to push Keith away? Should she feel guilty? She didn't know?

Lance was quiet, he was waiting for her answer, giving her time to think. But he was holding onto her tightly too. Hands on her waist, thumbs massaging her skin and she closed her eyes, because she didn't want to move from where she was. Straddled over his lap, her own hands on his chest, at the neck of his old academy T-Shirt that said Garrison Pilot Training in faded red lettering. She leaned forward, touching her forehead to his, her hair fell around them, like a curtain hiding them from the world.

"I do love him, I love all of you. Did I love him more than that? I did, I do, I... It's been almost over a year now, Lance. I...we never discussed what happened. We never discussed what we put out there for each other, what was said, what wasn't said. We were avoiding each other, we were. There was time but then Wade - then you came up with the idea of one of us going underground."

"I'm sorry he took off, I meant it to be me."

"I didn't want either of your to go," Allura cupped Lance's face, "I needed you here. I'm not surprised he went, you know how he was. He'd come up with plans that put him out there as the noble sacrifice all the time. It was partly why I felt so much for him and fought with him so often."

"Me too."

"You're no better. You don't call it noble, you make it seem reckless and crazy and like it's the only way for rest of us. But it's just as stupid," Allura scolded.

"It still should be me out there. I had to tell him to get over himself and hustle for money, on Lyra."

Allura giggled despite herself. "He will. He's capable of doing what has to be done to succeed. I..." Allura closed her eyes but moved her head down into Lance's shoulder, breathing in his scent the essence of leather always there, jacket or not. Her mind full of Keith, trying to process, trying to figure out how to really answer Lance's question.

Lance moved his hands up to her shoulders, gently massaging one shoulder with one and playing with her hair with the other and quietly waited for her to gather her thoughts again.

Keith, she'd been drawn to him since the first moment she saw him. She'd only seen and heard her father in dreams, dreams that were true visitations but she hadn't understood it that the time. There was a strong, calm presence in Keith that radiated and it'd reminded her of her father. He was the leader, an easy leader, someone that people listened to and liked. They didn't question because they knew the orders were just, right and not given lightly when dangerous.

Keith jumped in front of danger, for her time and time again; she never discounted that the others did as well but Keith seemed more present. He did for her, he did it for strangers. He simply did it because it was what was right. He was the leader, the black lion flew for him seamlessly, they were one in the air.

He'd gone to spirit worlds for her, he'd fought Lotor for her, he'd risked life and limb and they'd catch each the other's eye sometimes and something would spark. She put him first in her heart, over everyone but her people, she wanted to be near Keith. She wanted to please him and prove to him she was good leader and a good pilot for the blue lion. Keith made her so mad at times, she saw red and wanted to yell and scream but her words would always tie up on her tongue, the hurt that came with anger getting the best of her.

After their last battle they'd had a huge fight, they'd said things the didn't really mean and then they'd both come so close to saying what they did mean. To almost talking about everything that had gone unsaid for so many years now, maybe too many years. Allura had been at that point, if they didn't do anything soon she needed to move forward, she had no other choice, she couldn't keep waiting for Keith to make a move. So she'd been shorter with him than usual and in reaction he'd been shorter in temper with her. But it sparked the right fight at the right time - or maybe it'd been the wrong time.

Allura would never know what might have happened. They'd both said things, things about how special the other ones was, how they had wanted to say something for a long time now. She'd asked him to go first, needing him to be one to put his heart out there for her... When Coran had interrupted them to get going to a victory celebration, she didn't remember which planet. Then came the avoidance. She had avoided him because she needed Keith to make the first move, but he was avoiding her, which started to make her mad. What she might have done she'll never know because the victory celebration on Earth occurred and the Lions sabotage by Wade was brought to their attention.

Keith had left without a word on the subject. Leaving Allura as confused as ever because maybe there had been too much unsaid for far too long?

"Maybe there was too much unsaid for too long. Maybe I... I did love him, I do love him, I don't know how he feels about me. I was in love with him, you're right Lance," Allura said, after moving back so she could look Lance in the eye as she spoke.

"He loved you," Lance said.

"He told you?"

"He didn't have to," Lance said. "No, he never said anything, to anyone."

"He should have told me," Allura said, her eyes closing and tears she didn't expect but should've expected began to fall. "Why didn't he just tell me?"

"Baby, I don't know," he said, his thumbs on her cheeks, catching tears. "He was an idiot about some things. Girls a lot of the time, I knew him better than most do and I never could figure him out completely. He's a mystery man I guess. Strong silent mysterious type girls fall for, plus that noble streak a mile long and wide. Hero complex. He's broken a lot of hearts."

Allura stared into Lance's eyes as he spoke, his voice almost seemed disembodied to her because of it. She could feel the rough pads of his thumbs against her face. He looked right at her, trying to make her feel better, about another man when they were all wrapped up together, still touching each other. They couldn't stop even now. Her own hands had fallen to his arms, they were on his biceps, he was so strong, so solid, and so straight forward.

"I don't know what this is," she whispered.

"Me either," Lance said leaning forward and kissing her again.

The kiss was soft at first, almost chaste expect both their mouths were open, but it deepened quickly, and Allura exhaled into Lance's mouth and inhaled as well as she could through a slightly stuffy nose because of her tears. Lance lifted them up, his hands holding her legs around his waist for the briefest of seconds, then he let go. Allura let her legs fall and when her feet hit the floor he pulled way but didn't let go. "We should, slow down," he whispered, shaking his head no as he said words he didn't completely agree with.

She nodded in agreement but went up onto her toes and kissed jaw and then his mouth again before stepping out of his personal space, pulling up the back of her shirt to refasten her bra. "Yes, you're probably right, I don't want... I don't want lose my best friend," she looked at him a jolt of terror of the thought causing a shiver to run up her spine.

"Never," he said, shrugging his leather jacket back on, and he looked perfect, he was so rugged in it, Allura thought. "Whatever is changing here, I won't let that happen Allura. We're teammates, we're the current leaders of the Voltron Force, we have Arus and Pidge and Hunk to watch out for. Keith too..."

"Right," Allura nodded. "I..." she paused almost thinking she shouldn't say it then realized it was stupid not to, not after everything else. "I need to figure out my head about Keith, don't I?"

"Me too," Lance said.

"You?"

"Yeah, I...think I should feel guilty about us, Allura but I don't, it's messing with my head a bit. He's my best friend, and he's all I got left that I call family."


	17. Chapter 17

Keith jumped when his computer starting to beep, he'd just sent a message out to Pidge five minutes ago, he'd been going through his morning routine, not expecting to hear from Pidge until much later; knowing it was the middle of night on Earth.

Two seconds after hitting the button, realizing Pidge was sending him a live audio message, Keith nearly fell off his seat when Pidge's face was before him on the screen. "What are you doing, you said visual contact would be easily spotted?"

"I've managed to hide and encrypt the signals, from my room anyway. At least now and again you can see my friendly face. I got your questions about Xios, you and Lance sure act alike sometimes. I already have a whole file on it, sending you what I gave Lance today. He's going to ask Princess to help make sense of the hierarchy, but you always had a good handle on that stuff. So maybe you'll understand it better than I did."

Keith saw as an encrypted attachment fell into his email. "Thanks, I think I'm going to go there."

"Xios?" Pidge said.

Keith nodded. "What little Lance said about his run in with Prince Seth, it kept coming back to me. I asked around this bar I was in last night, a few questions about it, I'm in its star system, no one had anything good to say. A few said a few things about how weird it was it had a treaty with the Alliance. I want to see what I find on the surface, give me a summary?"

"I think Prince Xios, is a faker to the throne. All the past week, he was on Wade's heels, a lot. Wade made him apologize to Allura, Coran told me. It's strange."

Keith nodded. "Thanks, I'll read the file and check in with Lance."

"Send it to his email on Arus, doubt he'll check his Academy one when he's there."

"Arus?" Keith asked.

"He went back with the Princess today, was put on medical leave. You probably didn't know it but he had just gotten back from a special op, he'd been shot. Then there was the nose, which I guess no big deal but add then in with your fight - nice shiner by the way, and the fall. Doc made him take a week off."

"Shot?" Keith sighed. "What's the story, Pidge, with Wade and Lance?"

"Wade likes him. Or, is acting like it anyway, he's the one who made him see the doctor. He collects people, usually they are all kind of - not good at their jobs. There are some exceptions though, those are exceptional at their jobs. Lance... we can't tell if he likes him because he's hotheaded or because he's good."

Keith frowned, thinking and he ended up shaking his head. "Sometimes it's hard to tell."

Pidge laughed. "He put his foot down about who subs his classes that's for sure. I think he really loves the teaching position he was tossed into here. Hunk's taken over for him. Never seen Hunk so nervous in my life, he only ate one plate of his supper. He doesn't want to let Lance down."

Keith nodded. "Sure he's doing fine."

"What I said. Lance and Allura probably landed," Keith watched as Pidge's head disappeared and then came back. "uh a couple or so hours ago. They left so they'd get to Arus in the mid-afternoon."

Keith nodded. "I'll read your report. Did you find anything on Early?" he asked.

"Not yet, nothing you don't know anyway."

"It's good to see your face, Pidge," Keith said, meaning it. It was good to see his teammate, his friend. He looked good, his once untamable curly hair was now controlled by a shorter cut, but since Keith's message had woken up, it was sticking out at odd angles, reminding him of the young kid he'd once proudly served with. In awe of his genius and aware of curbing his youthful enthusiasm to keep him on mission.

"Pidge, turn your computer off when you're asleep. I don't want you waking up just to answer me."

"But what if..."

"No but's Pidge."

"An emergency."

"None of you could get to me quickly anyway, Pidge. I mean it," Keith ordered.

"Is it remind Pidge he's the youngest and give him a lecture day," Pidge muttered. "First Lance, then my commanding officer got on me for yawning too much, then the girl at the coffee shop said I order too much coffee. You know there are a lot of things I want to do in one day, I have a lot of things running through this brain," Pidge whined followed by a large out of control yawn, which made him clamp his mouth shut. "I just lost my own argument, huh, Chief?"

"You were always smartest guy I know," Keith said.

"You being careful out there?"

"Of course I am, Pidge. What happened on Lyra, that won't happen again. I learn from my mistakes. I'm sorry I worried you."

Pidge nodded and looked away for long moment before looking back. "Worried all of us. Hunk said Princess was really wound up, worrying about both you and Lance at the same time."

Keith looked down, any mention of Allura hurt, it reminded him of things he'd let slip away, and how hadn't faced up to things she had asked for. He hadn't thought he'd run away from them, not at first. But the more time apart from her the more he felt like he screwed up and that it wasn't going to be something he could fix. "I'll be watching my back. I'll check in with you, every week as usual, Pidge. Get some sleep."

"Be careful. Find the goods on Wade, cause I hate pretending I like him, I think it's giving me indigestion."

Keith grinned, said another goodbye and ended the connection. The screen in front of him went black and he sighed. He looked his email, and went to open the email from Pidge about Xios but instead he opened Allura's last message.

It was too short, and he hadn't said anything, not really, he thought. His eyes fell on the 'Always Allura' at the end of the message and he closed his eyes. They'd always gotten along, it felt like they thought on the same wavelength all time, their brains just thought the same way. There were times when he'd swear he'd heard her in his head. Maybe he'd just put her there? When he'd chosen to take this assignment on for himself, he knew leaving her would be the hardest part. He'd gone to her room to talk to her, to say goodbye in person.

When he'd walked up to her room the door had been open, she'd been inside, with Lance, arguing with him about his going underground. He'd listened to them for only a few moments but it'd been illuminating.

He'd only ever heard her raise her voice to Lance, when Lance was arguing with him, when the two of them were too busy arguing they forgot that a battle was going on. Then she'd yell at them both, calling them children and putting them back into their place on the team. Reminding them of what really mattered.

Lance stood with his hands in the pockets of his jacket, trying to stay calm in the face of her yelling that he was to stay on Arus, as if it was a royal decree.

"Someone has to track down how dirty Wade really is. The rumors have been going on for years - and no one wanted to believe them. They're true, he sabotaged Voltron. Our lions, Allura. Someone has to find out the dirty secrets that ass is hiding. I can do that, you find the right creeps in the bad corners of the right bars..."

"No! I can't lose my best friend. Not now, not when..." She'd stalked passed him then, turning her back.

"Not now?" Lance said, and Keith saw him grabbing her arm, pulling her back to face him, like it was perfectly fine to touch the princess in such a manner "What does that mean, Allura?"

"It's nothing, whatever. You aren't going, Lance. I'm not saying goodbye."

"Allura, that's why I'm here to say goodbye but if you don't..."

"No!"

Keith remembered being hit by how important Lance was to Allura. He'd never seen it before, or allowed himself see it. He'd managed to ignore how often they were seen talking, heads bent together, laughing. How many inside jokes they would try to laughing explain to Hunk, Pidge or him at times. How often Lance would just drop down next to her in the rec room in the Castle and casually toss his arm around her shoulders. He'd thought nothing about it because it was Lance.

Lance knew how he felt about Allura. He'd never even had to tell him, it was the good thing about their friendship. No unnecessary conversations. But words from Allura like 'best friend', Lance so at ease alone in her room at night, the casual manhandling - he had never dared touch her like that, Keith thought and it was all he wanted to do most days.

That night however, he hand't given it much thought. It'd been later, alone in the ship, trying to figure out his first move, and circumvent the first zealous Alliance ships sent after him that the scene had played over and over again in his head. That he remembered the punch to his gut at seeing how much Allura cared about Lance.

At the time all that had mattered was Lance was planning running out that night too. Keith had no time to wait for him to leave Allura's room, he had to go now or it'd be to late. He had to be one to put his life on the line like this, Lance's plan was good but Keith had to be the one to do it.

Keith punched down on the console, where he couldn't harm any of the systems. The truth was so clear now, he'd known it all along but now it was crystal clear. He'd walked away from Allura that night, without looking back. But he still remembered how she'd looked the last time he saw her. Yelling at Lance, her hair flying out of her bun, her hand grabbing his arms, begging him to stay. She'd been beautiful. There times he put himself in Lance's place, when he replayed the memory and made her tone more pleading, her begging more desperate.

He opened Lance's last message to him, Keith could tell it'd been hastily written that morning, apparently before Lance left for Arus. He wondered at why Lance hadn't told him he was heading there.

_Keith_

_I'm alive. I get it, I need to be alive for the team. _

_I knew the cliff and I know my voltcom. Be careful out there, yourself huh. I don't like seeing Allura worry, it doesn't become her. You know what I mean. And she won't admit it but she's been worried. I guess I made it worse, but I didn't see another way out, man. _

_I got a few things kicking around in my head, but I'm outta time right now. Check in with you soon on that, want some more facts first. Be good, well duh, be careful no more getting caught by scientists man. Bye bro, Lance... and hey remember to drop Allura a line or two._

Allura. Lance was all about Allura. Keith heard it and he was seeing it. Lance was on the ball, if Keith was honest, he was doing more than Keith expected while under Wade's eye back on Earth. He hadn't been sure what any of them could have accomplished on the inside it's why he'd jumped on Lance's plan to go underground. Lance though - he'd found himself left behind and he'd found a way to adapt and ways for them to help Keith on his own quest. Lance had found a way to make being on the inside work.

This last week though, with him being captured, with seeing Lance, with Allura also being on Earth. It'd all happened differently than Keith expected. The second he saw Lance, Keith had been expecting Lance to lay into him about leaving Lance behind. Lance had lost his whole family to a series of health issues and accidents, while they'd been assigned on Arus. He'd turned to Keith to fill that family role, and Keith had understood. He'd been adopted when he was five by the Quinn's he knew what it felt like and he'd happily taken on the role of being Lance's only family. When he'd seen Lance, he'd expected a punch to the jaw about not saying a proper goodbye, about not letting Lance be the one to go - Lance had touched on that but not to the extent Keith had expected. Instead what Lance had seemed the most serious about was Keith making sure Allura knew he was okay. He'd been yelled at for not saying goodbye to Allura.

And his lates message, this one was about treating Allura better too. Keith sighed. He didn't know what do to? What could he do? He couldn't see her? He couldn't go back to Arus, not until he was flying the Black Lion back to where it belonged.

All Keith knew was he had a bad feeling, about how he'd left things with Allura, about Allura's lack of message in her last note. Keith pulled up the picture of Allura in the blue cocktail dress, with Lance's arm around her waist. They were standing by a window, the photographer had caught the light in just the right way to highlight the both of them. They looked like perfect couple in stopped motion. The caption under the picture said: Are Arus's Princess and Commander Larkin the new hot couple of the Galaxy?

Frowning he closed the file and then deleted it. This type of thinking got a person nowhere, he reminded himself. He opened Pidge's file on Xios and quickly decrypted it, then set it up to print out. Then he programmed a flight plan to the planet itself into the computer and flew his small ship off the small moon he was on and into space.


	18. Chapter 18

~~~~18~~~~

Lance opened the door to Larmina's room as quietly as he could, knowing that she was in there with her Ancient Arusian Language teacher, Willa Teanee. A local teacher who came up to the castle to teach Larmina three days out of the week, in Ancient Arusian Language, Ancient Arusian History and Basic English as it was the universal language of the galaxy. He'd dated Willa a time or twelve over the years, so he knew that she hated it when people interrupted her classrooms. Especially with a problem student like Larmina. Not that he thought Larmina was a problem student, she just wasn't a sit at the desk and read type of girl, she liked to get her hands dirty. She loved to run, and fight, she loved martial arts and she loved archery.

Allura, Coran, Willa, and Larmina's other teachers though thought she lacked focus and needed to stop being so restless and impatient. Lance thought they just needed to channel her energy better. She'd been handful since she'd arrived at the Castle of Lions. Though at first the young redheaded princess hadn't been their handful, she'd been her father's handful - and her father... Her father they hadn't trusted at all. He'd claimed to be Allura's older brother Alden; thought to have died long ago in the first attacks by Zarcon, when King Alfor and his wife lost their lives and only Allura had survived secreted away by Coran and Nanny.

It'd been a tense time at the Castle, they hadn't believed him, wondered why he was coming home now and he claimed it was for his daughter's protection. Her mother had died in an attack on the planet he'd escaped too, after being a slave of Zarcon's for years. She hadn't wanted them to go to Arus, thinking Alden would then have to join Voltron Force to spare his sister, she hadn't want her daughter to lose her parents like she had, like he had. He'd stayed with her, for her, for Larmina. But now he was alone, he wanted Larmina to have her family, to know where and who she came from. And he wanted to stop Zarcon, he would never try to take away what Allura had earned over the years, he just wanted to be with his family again.

It'd been hard to believe, to many tricks from Haggar over the years. It'd been King Alfor who made them believe in Alden. He'd appeared before the whole team, and Coran. He appeared to Alden and taken a baby Larmina up into the air in some spiritual hold and proclaimed: "This is my granddaughter, she is the future of Voltron, she is destined to fly the Blue Lion. Welcome home my son, welcome back to where you belong, I have been waiting for you, it is good to see you once again."

The happiness hadn't lasted. Alden joined forces with them, on a run to save a slave planet, a woman had been danger from falling shrapnel and he'd pushed her out of the way, only to lose his own life less than a week later. Leaving Allura to raise Larmina, a niece she never expected, from a brother she'd barely known but had loved enormously in the short time she'd known him once she'd allowed her heart to trust in the reality of him.

Larmina had cried for months, for her father.

As Lance moved into the room, stealthily placing himself against the back wall, he could see that Larmina wasn't paying Willa any attention at all. She had her head propped up by her hand under her chin and was staring out the window at the big elderberry tree that grew just outside. It was close enough to jump from the window to the tree - Lance was sure that was just what she wanted to do.

Willa turned from what she was writing on the board in the picturesque ancient text and saw him. Her brown eyes widened and a small smile brightened her features, which gave Lance a bit of a pause. Now was not the time for her to want to go out - he thought she was engaged, she was last time he'd been home anyway.

"Larmina, read the words on the board."

Larmina turned to the board. "Castle, Parliament, Diplomacy."

"What do these words have in common?"

"They are boring?" Larmina muttered.

"Larmina?" Willa said, trying to keep her cool.

"What? They are, seriously can't we just finish this already and call it a day."

Willa looked ready to scream, Lance chuckled, he couldn't help it, which caused Larmina to turn around in her seat and jump out of the chair. "Lance!"

"Sit," he ordered.

"But, you're here, and Aunt Allura said when you two got home..."

"Sit!"

Larmina frowned but sat back down, Lance walked to the front of the room and looked at the board. Then he looked at the window. "Use the words castle, tree, and escape in a properly structured Ancient Arusian sentence, that pleases Ms. Teanee and maybe I'll talk her into letting you out soon."

The young girl's blue eyes brightened as she looked from Lance, to the tree and back to him, but she frowned before sighing. She flipped open the book that had sat unopened in front of her and started to look something up.

"She doesn't really have the grasp for the sentence she probably wants to say," Willa said sitting down on the edge of her desk, facing Lance.

"She'll pull it off," Lance said.

"You always upstage other teachers?"

"Yeah, actually," he said, thinking about Thrace. "But I won't do it again. Allura just asked me pick her up, and I couldn't resist peeking in. Haven't seen her for ages it seems."

"You have been gone a long time," Willa said. "Lots happened, like I broke up with Soren. There is this great band, Earth rock and roll, that plays Quest every Friday these days. Want to go?"

"Can't," Lance said, keeping his eyes on Larmina on purpose. "I'm on medical leave, I think Allura's going to give me a curfew."

"Sneak out, not like the guards will stop you."

"Will if Allura tells them too," Lance laughed.

Willa snorted. "Like Princess Allura would have her guards arrest you for something like that."

Lance turned to face Willa. "You have never seen her angry then have you."

"I teach Larmina, I've seen her angry."

Lance shook his head. "I really can't, Willa, okay," he said as bluntly as he could without sounding rude.

"Whoa, okay. Who is she?"

Lance felt cornered because seriously was he that obvious, that he didn't want to see anyone else that wasn't Allura? That was scary, that wasn't even him, he didn't do that... he dated, he didn't do one girl at a time... but Allura wasn't a girl, Allura was his best friend. What the hell was he doing?

"Wow, you just turned white. You are serious about someone, aren't you? I was only kidding, kind of..."

He stared at her, trying to come up with a plausible lie but was saved by Larmina. She shouted out in Ancient Arusian that she would love to jump onto the branches of the elderberry tree to escape the Castle and her boring classes, so she could go swimming in the lake after a picnic dinner with her Aunt and her cool friend Lance.

It was a run on sentence and she was out of breath by the time she was done, but otherwise it was good Arusian. Willa sighed. "I hate you, I can't even get her to open the book. Go ahead take her."

Lance grinned at Larmina, winked and announced, "First one to the tree gets to stay up late tonight!" He watched Larmina sprint across the room before he followed her.

"Princess Allura is going to kill you," Willa yelled after him but Lance paid her no mind, as he pulled himself onto the fat sturdy branch that would have had him daydreaming too if he'd been in that classroom at Larmina's age.

Larmina was already a few branches down, Lance took a moment to watch how she chose her pathway down. He'd never forgotten how Alfor's ghost had pulled her as a baby up and named her the future of Voltron, the pilot of Blue Lion. It'd given him chills, he'd wanted to yell at the dead King that she was a just a baby, why lock her into having to fight already. Why would she need to fight anyway, shouldn't it be over by the time she was old enough?

He didn't believe it'd be over now. Not with what he was seeing and hearing at the Academy and in the special operation assignments he was being sent on; he knew their would be more enemies out there. More Zarcons, Lotors, and even worse the enemy he was attempting to fight now; Wade the enemy that meant to be his ally.

They had to get Voltron back, and he and Allura had to make sure Larmina was ready. He followed her chosen path down the tree, wanting to see if she took a smart route or a fast route. It turned out to be a smart route, that could be executed quickly by someone in shape, with quick reflexes, which wasn't so much him at the moment - damn aches and pains from all the body abuse of late. He landed on the ground in front of Larmina a minute or two longer than it should have taken him.

"What took you so long?" she asked, drawing random Arusian letters in the dirt around the tree trunk.

"Tired that's all,"

"When is our picnic?"

"I am to walk you to room, and make sure you go into the bathroom to take a shower; after that we are to meet in kitchen, where Allura says we get to make the basket from what we find."

"A shower? Why, I'll just get dirty again," Larmina groaned.

Lance remained passive, though he thought the kid had a point. He did however note she had twigs in her hair, dirt on her cheek and that had been before they'd climbed down the tree. "Shower, and remember you are lucky Nanny retired."

"I thought I was the reason Nanny retired," Larmina said.

Lance swallowed his laugh because though no one could get Nanny to admit it, it had been the main theory the guys in the team had about Nanny's sudden retirement three years back. Allura had even admitted to thinking it was Larmina to him and Keith. The reason Nanny had given was she wanted to retire, to spend her later years living near her sister and her sister's ever expanding family.

"She wanted to spend time with her sister, her nieces and grandnieces."

"There is a really long message for Aunt Allura left on the Castle's main message board from Nanny. I heard it when it came in, though the woman on duty made me leave before it was finished. It had something about a short skirt, hands and how a proper princess... I wanted to hear it all, it sounded funny."

Lance hit a button and Larmina's bedroom door opened. He noted the contrast to the room that he knew Allura had grown up in. It was greens, blues and browns in Larmina's room. Hard rock, or metal band posters were on the wall, there was a dart board in the middle of the room, with darts scattered on it and around it. Her bookcase was full of martial art trophies instead of books. On her bed there was only one stuffed animal, a small dog that been with her when her father first carried her into the castle.

"Do I have too," she whined stepping into her room and giving him one last look.

Lance stepped forward and pulled a leave out of the mess that was her pony tail. Bopped her in the nose with it and said. "Yes."

"Fine," she muttered and closed the door in his face.

He shook his head and headed off toward the Control Room, where he wanted to check in on things and make sure everything was up to date, before he went down to the kitchen. Plus, checking his watch to see what time it was Lance was sure Allura was still down at her father's tomb.

~~~~.~~~~

The candles smelled of honey and vanilla. Allura closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind of Lance, Keith, and everything else. She wanted a small moment, alone down here with her father, in silence to simply ground herself and ready herself to go back into being Crown Princess mode. As hectic as her week had been with function after function and the tedious day of peace treaty negotiations and talk. It'd been a break, from running a kingdom that was a whole planet.

She'd opened the door to her office off of the control room, just for an idea of what had piled up and her in box had turned into two whole boxes on the floor next to her desk. Allura's temples had started to hurt just at the sight, sometimes she wondered how she did it all and flew with the team when they were constantly under attack. However Coran had been home full time then, now he was on Earth fifty percent of the year as her Ambassador and on Arus the other fifty percent. Sure he traveled back and forth all the time as well, but he wasn't running interference for her any longer. "Other wise known as doing it for me," Allura muttered to herself, sitting down on the steps in front of her father's final resting place.

_Allura._

Allura opened her eyes startled, she hadn't expected her father to appear. "Father?"

_You were born to be Arus's Queen, the minutiae is not of import it is who you are that matters._

"Thank you, Father," Allura said, standing up, taking in his ghostly form. It didn't matter how many times she saw his face, saw his stature, saw him regal before her - she tried and tried to drink it all in to try to form a more substantial picture of the man her father was before her.

_I sense that what is bothering you runs deeper. It is your heart._

She never felt more vulnerable than she did when she was with her father, or more safe and secure in sharing the things that made her feel raw, tore at her and kept her awake at night. But this time she didn't even know where to begin to explain what she was feeling.

_They are both worthy men._

Allura wiped at the tears she felt falling from her eyes, and had to refocus her eyes on her father. She was shocked, shocked that her father with his cryptic messages and riddles could guess that it was about Lance and Keith. "You know?"

_I've always known you would choose between Keith and Lance. That Keith's honesty and nobility would draw you to him quickly. Just as I knew with Lance it would take longer and the feelings wouldn't manifest until you were both ready to face the feelings you have for each other._

"But Keith, he's never..."

_Soon Allura, soon all three of you will be together, facing enemies and finding allies. There will be falling stones and the truth of your hearts desire will be known to you._

Allura could feel her father leaving, slipping away going back to the other plane from where he came. "Wait, Father what do you mean, all three of us will be together? Where? When? Is it about Voltron?"

_Alas no, not yet. Voltron will return to Arus but not now. Different trials await you and your friends. Goodbye, Allura, soon I will see you soon._

He was gone and the candles went out in a puff of smoke. Allura stood, shaking from head to toe. She rolled her eyes. "So much for parental comfort," she mumbled wryly. She sat back down on the steps and decided to simply focus on her breathing until her body stopped shaking. It was best to mull over her father's words with some distance.


	19. Chapter 19

~~~~19~~~~

Lance walked into the kitchen, deep in thought wondering how he was going to tell Allura what he had just found out - he'd have to wait until after the picnic because they couldn't let Larmina down. He was ready to break out the smiles and the fun. But when he looked up all he saw was Larmina sitting on the counter, her red hair a wet tangled mess, a hairbrush on the counter, and a castle mouse on her knee eating a chunk of cheese.

"Where is she? She needs to do my hair for me, I can never do it right," Larmina whined, picking up the brush and trying to get through her hair. "Ow," she cringed and gave up.

"Huh," he ran his hands through his own hair. "Stay put," he walked out of the kitchen and poked his head into the servants recreation room, where they took their breaks. "Can one of you take Princess Larmina back to her room and brush her hair?" he asked the three woman sitting on the couch watching what looked like a daytime drama on their small television.

"Commander Larkin, I didn't realize you and Princess Allura were back already," Xara the head maid of the castle said, coming out of a small office in the back of the room. "I didn't get informed." She glared at the three women on the couch.

"It's no big deal, I don't think Allura was making her comeback official until tomorrow anyway, Xara," Lance said.

"Where is Princess Larmina?"

"Kitchen, we're going to have a picnic, but I need to track Allura down, I think she got preoccupied downstairs..." he let his voice trail off meaningfully. Everyone knew Allura talked to her father's tomb a lot, some knew she truly conversed with the spirit of King Alfor, but there were a few who had no idea.

"But of course. What was it you said about Larmina's hair?" Xara asked.

"It's..." Lance waved his hands around his head. "Tangled," he said.

Xara sighed and followed him out of the room, while she went toward the kitchen, he went toward the lower levels of the castle where Alfor's tomb was located. The King had probably appeared to Allura and said something creepy, foreboding and cryptic. Then left her to deal with it alone, in a dark tomb with cobwebs, spiders and the echo of her own breathing reverberating around her. He respected King Alfor he did, but sometimes he wished it was possible to throttle a ghost.

He did find her in Alfor's tomb. She was sitting on the steps facing the doorway he'd walked through, head in her hands, thumbs on her temples. "Son of bitch," Lance muttered.

Allura looked up and saw him. "Oh, Larmina," she started to sit up, but Lance was already next to her and as he put his hand on her shoulder, she sat back down.

"She can wait for a little bit, we'll call it a patience lesson. Plus, I think it will take an hour for Xara to get the knots in her hair out."

Allura nodded, a small smile on her face. "Poor Xara, I really should rescue her, was she upset I hadn't told her I was back yet."

"A little I think, though I think she was more mad no one reported you were back to her, gossip mill was running slow today I guess," Lance said, watching Allura sit up straighter but no movements that signaled she was going to get up.

"Is there news on Keith?" she asked suddenly, turning to look at him, her eyes pink rimmed from her recent tears, her expression wary. She was afraid of his answer.

Lance moved so he was behind her, not wanting to answer her for his own personal reasons. They'd been running through his head since he'd gotten news on Keith's plans. He sat behind Allura with his legs stretched out on either side of her, he moved as close as he could get without falling off the stair that was his seat and started to massage her neck muscles. She moved back toward him and they were silent for a long while, longer than Lance expected them to be as he worked on her neck muscles.

"You probably need a massage more than I do," Allura said.

"Gotta admit, I'm one big ache," Lance mumbled, not really wanting to admit to how much he hurt all over.

"I wish you could rest," Allura said.

"That's why I'm here, remember," Lance said, leaning forward and putting his chin on her right shoulder so they were cheek to cheek. He felt her smile, then felt it turn into a frown. "Tell me the first three things you heard in the control room when you checked in there, I have a feeling they'll put something Father said into perspective."

Lance had no choice, he was going to have to tell her about Keith, and another message he didn't really want to tell her about. But he could stall a little longer.

"The first thing I heard, because she was harassing the staff to make sure you or I got the message, was Nanny's lecture about how proper princesses should not show their knees, cleavage, or bare backs in public places. Then the lecture turned to me, because as your escort I should maintain a proper distance, and keep my hands above your waist at all times."

"Well, okay that one isn't illuminating but you're stalling for time, aren't you?"

"I am."

"Lance?"

"The second was a formal invitation from Prince Seth to a spend the remainder of this week on Xios, and then participate in the Ball his family is throwing to officially announce him as the Crown Prince of Xios."

Allura frowned. "And the third?"

He was afraid to tell her, it was innocuous really, hell it'd been what he expected Keith to do, what he'd wanted Keith to do because it made sense. It'd been why he'd told Keith about Prince Seth in the first place, and about how close to Wade he seemed. He was just afraid of how Allura was going to connect the dots given what King Alfor might have said, but more honestly he was afraid of talking about Keith.

They hadn't mentioned him since their last conversation about them, they'd managed to be - them, Allura and Lance. Talking, laughing, looking over Pidge's file and working things out. Allura had made what sense she could out of how the Xios Royal Hierarchy worked.

The energy between them was as charged ever - if not more so - they couldn't stop themselves, they had to touch. He couldn't keep his hands out of her hair, they kept holding hands, and they'd made out. Long, slow, crazy-making kisses that ended with them both staring at each other while the other one burst out laughing at how well they weren't doing at taking it slow.

"I have to go Xios," Allura said, breaking Lance's train of thought.

"No."

"Yes," Allura said, turning to face him. "You're on leave, you can come with me."

"You're stay there will outlast my leave, Allura, and no, no way, I'm leaving you there."

"Father, said that there will..."

"Great, another riddle," Lance snapped, interrupting her.

"Don't, don't belittle what he says because I know you take it as seriously as I do, I've seen how you watch Larmina, and just this past week you've made mention of other things he said in regards to you."

"That crazy one about me being the leader," Lance laughed sarcastically

"Lance, please, hear it out," Allura said stepping forward and kneeling in front of him on the steps. "You have to, please?"

Lance nodded, seeing how serious she was, how important it was to her but he didn't want to hear this. He didn't want her to go to Xios, he wasn't sure he could stay with her if they went. Leaving her alone on that planet with Prince Seth, even if Keith was somewhere out there on the fringes - maybe especially with Keith somewhere out there on the fringes, a knowing voice in the back of his head whispered.

Allura took a deep breath. "He said, he said the three of us, you, me and Keith we'd be together soon where we'd be facing enemies and finding allies. There would be falling stone...and," she paused for a second her hand reaching out and touching his face for a brief moment before falling away. "And that I would know my heart's desire."

"He talked to you about us?"

Allura nodded. "He told me he foresaw me choosing between you and Keith all along."

"Huh," Lance muttered. "Falling stone?" he said, wanting to focus on something else, his heart beating to hard at the idea of Allura choosing. Of her choosing Keith, because when she saw him again, it'd all come back to her. Why he was the man she'd picked in the first place.

Her hand was under his chin, he let her guide his face where she wanted it pointed. "Don't go brooding on me, Lance. Where are you?"

"You'll choose Keith," he said without thought, realizing he'd never lied to Allura and he wasn't sure he could start now. Even when half the time he wasn't sure what it was he felt, and the other half he was starting to believe he might have been in love with her since day one.

"I don't know that, Lance. I want to talk to him, I need to talk to him. I need to see him and look him in the eye. But choosing him - I'm not even sure what I'd be choosing him for? I'm not even sure what we are doing...but then again all I know is...this feels right, doesn't it?" Her lips softly crashed against his.

And they were kissing, her kneeling on the step below where Lance was sitting, between the V of his legs, his hands grabbed her shoulders, one traveling into her hair pulling her closer. Allura moved even closer, her body moving upwards and moaned into his mouth. When they broke apart for air, neither one of them laughed this time, Lance stroked her cheekbones with his thumbs and he swallowed. "Allura, I..."

"Me too," she whispered her cheeks red. She sighed and stood, offering Lance her hand. "We can't leave Larmina waiting any longer. Think about Xios, though Lance. I believe we need to be there, Father said that there were trials we were going to have to face before we regained Voltron. I think this is one of them."

Lance took her hand and stood up. "I'll think about it, but Wade might order me away, Allura and I don't like..."

"I think it will work out," Allura said, squeezing his hand and starting to walk.

Walking with her Lance shook his head. "Why?"

"Father wouldn't say we'd all be there, if it wasn't going to happen."

Lance couldn't argue with her there.

~~~~.~~~~

Allura tried to take her eyes off of Lance and Larmina but she couldn't, she kept zeroing back in on how Lance was holding her. On how Larmina was snuggled against his chest sound asleep. She usually woke right back up, kicking and screaming that she could walk and that she wasn't tired if anyone picked her up. But there she was drooling on Lance's old academy t-shirt.

She opened Larmina's bedroom door, frowned at the scattered mess of opened computer games and music CD's without the disks in them, papers with scrawled words or drawings on them all over the place, and the bad attempt to hide all her dirty clothes by kicking them under the bed. Allura just rolled her eyes, someday she'd get Larmina to take better care of her property - she hoped - she turned down the covers and watched Lance put Larmina down carefully.

"Uh-nuh, not tired," Larmina mumbled, instinctively grabbing her stuffed toy dog and burrowing into her pillow.

Lance was grinning down at her, Allura found herself grinning at how endearing he looked and tucked Larmina in and kissed her forehead and made a face. "She's all sticky," she whispered, wiping at her mouth.

"She was having fun," Lance whispered back, his arm closing around Allura's waist as they left the room and started down the hallway.

"You're a mess too," Allura said, stalling their walk to stand in front of him and try to wipe off bit of dirt that was on his chest from running around with Larmina with the football Hunk had sent her from Earth. "What possessed Hunk to get her a football?"

"Hey, next to your weights it was her second favorite present," Lance laughed. "My book on Amelia Earhart bombed - I was kind of hoping learning about the pioneer of women flying on Earth might make her more excited about flying. Though I do think Pidge's present bombed more."

Allura leaned her forehead on Lance's chest as she giggled. "What was he thinking? A pink shirt?"

"That says Princess in glitter on it," Lance cracked up laughing too. "The look on her face when she pulled it out of the bag, I, oh, man, I wish I'd thought to take a camera."

Allura hit him in the arm.

"Ouch," he said, "What was that for?"

"For wanting to torture Pidge."

"You should try it on," Lance said. "Bet it'd make you a great little PJ top."

"It'd barely cover my..." Allura started to say but stopped short blushing furiously and hit Lance again.

"Ouch. On Medical leave here!"

"You just ran around for over an hour with an eleven year old with a football," Allura said but she grew serious. "Really, Lance you should have taken it easier," she said, her hands finding there up around his neck her fingers teasing the hair that fell just short of the collar of his shirt.

"Staying still just make my muscles stiffen up more, plus that was fun," he said and Allura felt his hands in her hair, she almost sighed when one left but then smiled when he showed her a leave and then let it fall to the floor.

"You just littered in my castle!"

"Someone will find it and deal with it," he said, leaning in and kissing her.

Allura felt spun. She wasn't going to get used to kissing Lance, there was no way to get used to something so surprising and so much like home. It was okay, she didn't want to get used to it, it'd be a shame to get used to something that felt so wonderful. She moved onto her tiptoes, wanting - needing - to be closer to him as they broke apart for breath. She moved her face into his neck, smelling grass, dirt and leather mingled with sweat and she was surprised to find she didn't find the smell repulsive.

The hand Lance had in her hair, stayed there, twisting a long strand around his fingers, while his other hand fell down her arm, until finding her hand and taking it into his. "Allura, damn it, we..."

"Are only one door down from my room," Allura heard herself say, staring right him, into his eyes seeing in them feelings that matched her own. She meant what she was saying, she wasn't no longer naive and before Lance could argue or try to reason with her, she took his hand and lead him to her room.


	20. Chapter 20

Notes: _This Chapter is NC-17 :-) Enjoy. I'm a bit rusty with the boy/girl action so I hope it's okay. _

_Thanks for all reviews, I love getting them, it helps to know people are reading and enjoying._

~~~~20~~~~

Early morning sunlight lit up Allura's bedroom with bright gold light. She woke up content, satisfied and aching in places she'd hadn't known she could ache. It felt wonderful. She was snuggled against Lance, both of their heads sharing one pillow, her own tucked into where his neck and shoulder met. He had an arm tightly around her waist, their legs were tangled together and where their bodies met together just underneath the sheets, she could feel that though he was sleeping he was hard - 'Ready and willing,' had been how he'd put it last night, looming over her, his eyes dark yet twinkling, before he grew serious again and asked if she was sure for the millionth time. Even though they'd already had sex by then and she'd more than proven she was sure.

She wasn't a porcelain doll, she reminded him in no certain terms. She was sure, it was the one thing she was sure of... There was some sort of force drawing them closer and closer. Allura didn't want to fight it, because the more she tried. The more she forced herself not to touch Lance, the more her hands sought him out, the more she felt she needed to be close to him.

A part of her wondered if it was because it was new but she kept disregarding it because nothing between her Lance felt new per se; it was new yet it felt like a natural progression to. They'd been close for years, getting closer - there was a large part of her that felt as if she'd always known about it. Despite how unexpected it'd all been.

Allura closed her eyes and breathed in Lance's scent, focused on every point where their bodies touched, on the heat, on the desire that started to pool into her in her belly, and make her heartbeat faster. Opening her eyes, she focused on Lance's face, wondering if he was going to wake up soon. He looked peaceful, more peaceful than she'd seen him look in years. He hadn't been this soundly asleep in a long time. Pride rose within her as she realized she'd helped him to feel that comfortable, and that safe.

The sheets of her bed weren't covering their upper bodies, her eyes trailed off his face, to watch his chest fall and rise. Slow, even, deep breaths, one of her hands reached out and touched his chest over his heart. He made small noise, the arm holding her tightened, pulling her closer, and Allura blushed, ducking her head back down into his shoulder, she hoped hadn't woken up. He needed all the rest he could get. She waited a minute, his chest rose and fell slow and even under her hand, his heart thumped against her palm, steady, even and alive.

Allura bit her lip. She'd almost lost him twice in the last month. The first time she'd been clueless; she'd been running her planet, readying her to trip to Earth, blithely unaware that her best friend was placing his life in danger on a special assignment. Even when she found out about the assignment it hadn't occurred to her he might've been heard until she saw him, hugged him and he hadn't squeezed her too tight to him like always. Leaning up as much as she dared to, her eyes sought out the laser bullet wound, her hand following her eyes's trail. The scar was healed now, she knew that meant the one on his back was as well, she let her index finger touch the newer skin of the scar. Fear and tears welling in her eyes, wondering at his stupidity, to allow himself to be pushed over a cliff so soon after such a wound.

"Hey? Allura, are you crying?" Lance asked, his voice rough with sleep, he grabbed her hand, pulled the sheet over her bare breasts, then moved so he was leaning half over her.

"I was thinking about how I never throttled you for jumping over a cliff," Allura said, using her free hand to touch his face. "I didn't mean to wake you up, you need sleep. It's still early."

Lance pushed some of her hair behind her ear, looking at her and shook his head a bit. "You know, I'm not made of glass either, Princess."

"Okay then," Allura said and maneuvered herself, then Lance so he was on his back and she was straddling him, free of the sheet and naked. She knew she was blushing furiously, she wondered if she would ever stop blushing in situations like this.

"Holy, damn, Allura," Lance stuttered out, a hand on the back of her neck pulling her down for a kiss, his other hand reaching over for where the box of condoms was on Allura's bedside table.

Allura grinned, her giggle swallowed by his mouth as they kissed as she watched his arm flail around out of her peripheral vision. Breaking apart for air, she finds herself lifted up by him as Lance sits up straighter practically growling. "Where is it?"

Allura glances over and frowns, the box is nowhere within sight. "Maybe it fell off," she muttered.

"Lock your legs," Lance said into her ear, kissing the rim of it and standing up.

Allura locked her legs around his hips, her arms around his shoulders, laughing as he took them both out of the bed, to find the box of condoms. She peered down over his shoulder at the floor from one angle while he looked from the other one. "Did it roll under the bed?"

"Maybe," Lance said and dropped her on the bed without a word.

"Hey," she laughed.

Lance grinned at her as she half-pouted, half laughed at him for tossing her on the bed. "You're gorgeous."

Allura blushed but kept eye contact, until he ducked down to look under the bed. Then she moved forward, to get a good look at all of him, naked and moving. Moving muscles on a lean body with broad shoulders, and long, lean hard cock with a thick head. He came up with an 'Ah ha' look on his face, the box in his hands and Allura went with the first impulse she had.

"Don't drop it," she ordered, moved off the bed, pushed him into a sitting position on the edge, dropped to her knees and took his cock into her mouth before allowed herself to think it through. If she thought about it she'd get scared, if she thought about it she'd hesitate and over-think the process; she'd give him time to worry about if she was ready for this, if she wanted to be with him, if he should be with her because she was Princess - which he hadn't said and she prayed he never did. Because if he did she knew it would hurt her more than anything coming from Lance, who never treated her differently because of her title.

What mattered now was the sounds Lance was making because she was causing them. She didn't know what she was doing, she did know she was surprised by liking the taste of him. It was just more potent him, the skin was softer and smoother than expected from the sight of it. Opening her mouth and throat as much as she could she moved down and up, her hand below her and her other hand against the bed so she wouldn't tip over. Lance was breathing heavy, he kept gasping, his hands landing in her hair - they always did - but this time on the crown of her head, gentle pressure down, she could feel him fighting not to push her down harder, so she tried to swallow down more.

She had no idea how long she kept it up, before suddenly, Lance said her name the way he would if he was given an order in the field, though in a much rougher, lower voice.

"Allura,"

She stopped, her mouth still wrapped around the tip and looked up.

Lance swore and gritted his teeth, then said through them. "Stop, now."

Allura did sure she was beet red as she pulled away, he shakily threw her the box, with the instruction. "Put that on quickly as possibly so I don't come from that..."

Allura wondered what color a blush went to after beet red, yet she felt powerful, in control, and she wanted him more than ever. She did as she was told, and then found herself in held in strong arms, back on her bed, her head on her pillow and his hands cupping his face.

"I think you might kill me."

Allura smiled, she didn't know how to say anything to him about what she felt in these moments, she'd just known she hadn't wanted to deny it was what she wanted. She hadn't wanted to run from it. Running hadn't turned out well that last time.

He was inside her, her eyes rolled back, she moved her legs up instinctively giving him more an angle, moving up into every thrust, and when she could see straight again, she found his hazel eyes staring right into her eyes and her hands found his face, because it was Lance, this was her best friend. It was right he was her first.

~~~~.~~~~

Lance leaned over and moved Allura's hair off of her face, she was snoring lightly, which just amused him greatly. Crown Princess Allura of Arus, snored. It was a great and powerful knowledge, that he just knew he was going to use one day to make her hit him, or blush profusely. Maybe she'd deny it to her dying breathe.

He kept wanting to pinch himself, or trying walking into the wall of her bedroom. It seemed like an hallucination that he was here, in her bed, enjoying afterglow. Afterglow of making love with her last night, more than once, afterglow of making love with her this morning complete with her completely frying his brain with the most unexpected, awesome blow job, ever.

He hoped she wouldn't regret this, he swallowed, fear swallowing him his hand moving from her hair to trace her cheekbone; she'd been a virgin, traditionally she was supposed to wait until wedding night. Though as she'd said bluntly last night. 'Traditionally on my wedding night I'll be with a stranger I don't know or love, Lance. Since when do you care about tradition anyway? I don't want a stanger, I want someone I... Lance, I want this.'

This.

This undefined, crazy familiar, unfamiliar thing between them. Lance closed his eyes and thought of all the times, he'd caught himself looking at her like she was a woman and not just his friend, and then stopping, pushing it aside and placing her in the category of Allura. She still was in the category of Allura. He didn't want to hurt her, he didn't want her hurt by him, by this undefined thing between them as much as it seemed to be formed from their friendship, what if...

It doesn't last.

Keith's coming back eventually.

She plans to go to Xios.

She'll pick him.

He'd wanted his time with Allura, he'd needed his time with her, he loved her. He couldn't deny it anymore, he loved Allura, always had and while her friendship was a treasure, something he was too selfish to ever give up. He would suck it up, if - when - she picked Keith. For now though, he agreed with her, there was no reason to not explore what was happening now, no reason to deny what they wanted, what they felt, the pull they felt - the need to touch, kiss and feel.

Her eyes blinked open and he grinned, looking into the dark blue of them. "Hey," he whispered.

"Hey," she whispered back.

"You snore," he said leaning down and kissing her nose.

"I do not," she said, her cheeks turning pink.

"Do so," he whispered kissing her on the mouth.

She leaned up, to kiss him as he pulled back a bit and then they were kissing again, the slow, crazy kind that last night they'd proven would lead to them naked and sweaty.

Then there was chime at Allura's door, it whirred opened automatically and a voice rang into the room, as they both scrambled to make sure all vital naked parts were covered.

"Princess, it's 9 am, as you requested. I brought in these flowers...OH MY GOD!" Xara dropped the vase full of wildflowers onto the floor, luckily it didn't break on the carpet, but the flowers spilled out, the water spilling after it. "Ah, Commander Allura, Princess Larkin - Oh my pecs... I mean, I..." she backed toward the door. "I'll...go...out..." She ran out the door.

Lance and Allura looked at each other and started laughing hysterically.

"I totally forgot I asked her to wake me at 9. I wanted to send Prince Seth my answer to his invitation first thing in the morning his time. That's in a few hours. Lance, you are coming with me?" Allura asked after she got her laughter under control.

"Yes, though I hate the idea I may be ordered to leave you there, but I don't know maybe since Wade is up to something with the guy, maybe..." Lance trailed off as alarms started blaring and he got out of the bed.

"What the..." Allura said, jumping out her bed as well.

Lance was already putting on his pants, he didn't bother with a shirt, there wasn't time. Alarms shouldn't be going off in the castle during peace time like this period. He started toward the control, realizing in the back of mind that Allura was right behind him. The two of them swarmed behind the two young men on duty. "What's going on?" they asked in unison.


	21. Chapter 21

~~~~21~~~~

Lieutenant Felix Heddar and his best friend, Lieutenant Harland Dennis of the Arusian Royal Army had been at the tail end of a very long, very boring shift at the control room of Castle of Lions. When suddenly a ship had triggered the long range radar that been put into place to detect incoming robeast coffins during the war. They both upped and fixed in on it, all they could tell was that it was crashing and that it was sending out an automatic but generic distress signal. But then there was torpedo fired on it, that somehow the ship managed to wobble out of the way off before hitting Arus's atmosphere.

Harland hit the alarms, and started to try to contact the ship firing on the first vessel, bringing up on the smaller screen in front of him instead of on the main castle display. It was the same configuration, they were from the same planet but it wasn't a ship he was familiar with. "They're ignoring my hails."

"I don't think anyone is home anymore in the other ship, but yet, it's staying in the air, barely," Felix said, his whole body was shaking he couldn't believe something like this was happening on his watch, why was a ship being shot down on Arus, by another of its kind, no thus?

The doors to the control room whirred opened behind them, Felix and Harland shared a look, knowing it'd be Commander Larkin and Princess Allura no doubt, on their feet the second they heard the alarms. Faster than their own commander officer who probably was trying to snooze his alarm clock.

"What's going on?" their two voices were one behind them.

Harland nodded at him, as he continued to hail the ship that was still firing at the other one as it wobbled and fought to stay in the air and not crash into Arus's dense forests.

"It's two ships, same configurations, only one is sending a distress signal and the other is firing on it. The first one is going to crash any minute, it's not answering hails, I think whoever is flying it, is too busy trying to stay in the air," Felix explained, putting the first ship up on the screen and then turning toward Larkin and the Princess of his home world.

He nearly fell out of his chair. Commander Larkin was in jeans and nothing else, bare feet, bare chest and bed head. Princess Allura had on what had to be Larkin's shirt, her long hair was a mess that would have made young Princess Larmina proud, and she was wearing a pair of her yoga pants inside out. "Uh?

Larkin leaned over him, doing things with the control panel that Felix didn't know was possible bringing the image of the crashing ship closer. "Lyran?" he said, "That's not good."

Allura was leaning over Harland, who was smirking at Felix, his eyes going back and forth between the Princess and Larkin. Felix glared at him, had he no sense of decorum, didn't he feel as if they'd interrupted something that wasn't their business? Felix hoped he wasn't blushing.

"This is Princess Allura of Planet Arus. You are shooting at ship that is now under my protection by being in Arus Air Space. I must ask you to desist and please explain why you are shooting at one of your own kind?"

"Lieutenant, is there a ship on the tarmac that's flight ready?" Larkin said and Felix took a minute to realize Lance was talking to him, a minute too long.

"Lieutenant!" Larkin shouted.

"Yes, yes, sir, Arusian Inferno Four is ready for flight,"

"Allura, get medical to meet me out there, and you, send all the information to the flight console, now."

Felix watched as Larkin ran out of the room, he did as he was ordered, then brought up the tarmac on his display and watched in awe and admiration as Larkin jumped right into the ship, dressed as he was like he'd just rolled out of bed.

Princess Allura had repeated her message to the other ship three times, they were now idling in space, in orbit around Arus. She frowned at the display screen as she informed medical to get a team together and go out to the tarmac to meet Commander Larkin at a crash sight.

"I give you one more chance, answer me or I will send a squadron of my soldiers to escort you out of Arusian airspace," she said less than a second after she'd dispatched the medical team.

A man's face suddenly appeared on the screen, he was in simple garb, to Felix he didn't at all look like a pilot. His face was sad, wary and contrite. "Is Lady Farla okay?" he asked.

Felix watched as Princess Allura paled but kept her royal countenance in place, something he found a great feat given her attire and the mess that was her hair. "You are a Guardian, tell me why you would be firing on your leader?"

"We were ordered to, Princess Allura. We had no choice. It was the Galaxy Alliance soldiers on Lyra. The scientist, Dr. Early, he's made Lady Farla public enemy number one since she made her loyalties to Voltron clear. It was them or us - we couldn't let it be soldiers she didn't know," he looked away unable to look Princess Allura in the eye, even through a view screen, Felix thought.

Felix and Harland exchanged looks, Princess Allura grabbed onto the back of Harland's chairs. "I thought the Guardians of Rose of Lyra were not under Alliance control?"

"All soldiers on Lyra must work with the Alliance soldier's. Our armies are not grand Princess, but we have many important people coming and going from Lyra studying the flowers. We had to give over certain control to the Alliance to protect them."

"I see. And Lady Farla," Allura asked.

"I don't know what happened. The scientist ran into Lyra control shouting about her, saying she was a traitor, then she was on the screen stealing the ship. I didn't know she knew how fly, Princess Allura. It all happened so fast. I was told not to allow her to reach her destination, to bring her back. Will you allow us to land, to bring her home?"

"No."

The Guardian blinked. "But you are aligned with the Alliance."

"I am Princess of Arus. I have no Alliance soldiers on this planet, I have my own army. I am loyal to those who are loyal to me and my legacy. I may be wary of the technology of Voltron but I will never turn my back one who believes in what Voltron stood for. Lady Farla has asylum here. Leave of your own free will. Or, I will make you."

"Yes, Princess Allura. We wished her no harm, please, please tell her."

Princess Allura nodded.

Felix and Harland exchanged amazed looks, the screen went blank for a second, before the crash scene came up, fire and smoke everywhere, the Lyran ship looked like it'd shattered on its impact with Arus's desert.

"Lance, Lance?" Allura said, her voice losing it's edge, now she sounded young, afraid.

"It's Farla, I know, and no she's not okay, damn it..." Larkin's voice cut out with a loud static burst.

Princess Allura stood where she was still gripping Harland's chair. "Are they leaving, Lieutenant Dennis?" she asked.

"Yes, Princess Allura, they are leaving, they are on track to planet Lyra."

She turned and left. "You two did well," she said softly, turning back.

They looked at each other and shrugged, both feeling like they hadn't done anything at all.

~~~~.~~~~

Allura walked into her room and saw Xara stripping her bed, shaking her head she ignored her and headed for her bathroom.

"Princess," Xara called after her. "Is everything okay with the Castle, was it just a practice alarm?"

"No, it wasn't a practice alarm," Allura said picking up her toothbrush.

"Princess, uh, about what, oh, I...May the Arusian Gods help me. Princess you must change."

Allura looked in the mirror, her hair was a mess, her free hand came up to try to calm it down on instinct but then she just dropped it. She smiled, a short brief smile when she realized she was wearing Lance's old academy shirt, then she rolled eyes at herself for pulling on her pants inside out. But she'd been in a hurry. She grabbed the toothpaste and squeezed it onto her toothbrush, she didn't have much time. She wanted to be down in the medical wing of the castle when Farla was brought in. "I'm in a rush Xara, what is it?"

"Nanny, she handpicked me, she requested... She told me to keep. She said that you would need reminding of what proper behavior is. I admit most of her views were antiquated, old fashioned, however. Princess Allura, sleeping with Commander Larkin, running around like..."

"Like what?"

"In his clothes. The whole castles is already talking, I've had ten text messages, brought on by the run you two made to the control room alone."

Allura sighed. "Xara, I realize that everyone believes I'm going to keep with tradition, and while that tradition worked for my parents - as they were very much in love. It will not work for me. I will not be marrying a prince, I will not be marrying anyone I do not know and do not love."

"You are in love with Commander Larkin?" Xara asked her eyes wide.

Allura didn't like her tone, or her shock. "What would be wrong with that?"

"It's nothing, it is just... He's slept with half the staff and then there are the women from the towns. Princess, how could you be sure you aren't just some notch on his belt?"

She laughed partly at Xara's exaggeration of Lance's prowess for getting laid. Allura more than anyone knew it was more reputation than truth. But mostly she was laughing because it was all she could do to stop herself from getting hurt and angry. Which was her typical reaction when people consistently treated her like she was an idiot who didn't know what she was doing, right now she didn't have the luxury.

Xara stared at her. "This is no laughing matter, Princess. A man shouldn't use you."

Allura's laughter died instantly though when the communication unit in her room beeped, and she pictured Farla's ship in pieces in Arus's desert and what Lance's reaction would most likely be. She dropped her toothbrush unused on the counter and rushed to answer. "This is Princess Allura."

"Allura, Gorma's rushing her into surgery, there was so much blood, there was a head injury, I... Shit... Allura this is my fault."

"No, Lance, Lance? Damn it he's not there..." Allura quickly took off her pants, then put them back on right side out and grabbed a pair of her sneakers from her closet to put on at some point. "Xara, please have shoes and a shirt brought down for Commander Larkin; and know this: I will do as I please when it concerns my own personal life."

~~~~.~~~~

Lance stared at his hands, they were covered with blood; he was covered with blood. His chest, stomach, his jeans. Farla's blood. She'd had small cut on her forehead, probably from hitting her head on the console. At first he'd thought she'd just passed out, that she had a bad concussion which was why she'd been focusing on trying to control her landing. But when he'd put his hand under her head, her hair had been soaking wet. He'd pulled his hand out and it was covered in blood.

He'd nearly frozen but he heard a ship landing, and he glanced behind him and it was the med shuttle. He started checking her for more wounds because the Lyran ship was in pieces. Electricity was sparking everywhere from broken consoles and shredded wiring. There were fragments of metal and plastic everywhere, he found a piece of metal in her thigh, blood oozing out around the edges.

Gorma was behind him then. "Where did the blood on your hands come from?"

"Back of her head," Lance said. He felt dazed.

Gorma had started shouting directions to his team, behind them, then he squatted down on the other side of Farla and indicated the metal in the thigh. Handing over a thick cloth to Lance. "Pull it out and apply pressure, while I get this quick apply stitch bandage ready," he said pulling something out of his bag.

Blood went everywhere when he pulled it out, but he tamped it down quickly, pressing in with the thick cloth only letting go when the doctor applied the strange sticky bandage to the wound. It tightened her skin together, closing the wound at least temporarily.

It was the head wound. Gorma had examined, ordered his med team to be careful while moving her, looked at Lance with a look in his eye that to Lance's eyes said the doctor wasn't sure he could help Farla.

That was when Lance had ordered him to save her life, in no uncertain terms. Then repeated it on the flight back in the med shuttle when she flatlined. Gorma had gotten her hard beating again and when they'd made back inside the castle, to the medical wing, Lance watched as she was whisked away through the door into surgery.

And he was left with nothing but blood on his hands.

It was his fault. Whatever had driven Farla from her home, followed by her own people firing on her, it had to be his fault. He'd asked her speak against Alliance policy in order to save Keith. He'd asked her to come out as a Voltron supporter. This was on him.

A soft voice said his name and Allura was standing in front of him, looking down at him with sad expression. Lance met her eyes, eyes so full of compassion and he shook his head at her because he didn't deserve it. She shook her head at him, then something soft and wet hit his palm. He looked down and Allura was wiping the blood off of his hands with a wet towel. Then took them in her own and pulled him up so he was standing. She ran the towel over his chest, then wiped one of his cheeks.

Lance stood, quietly, shaking and not knowing what to do as she took care of him. He was dazed, worried, scared, guilty. When Allura finished, she dropped the towel onto the floor, kicked it out their way, and gently guided him back down onto his chair and took the one next him.

Then she took his hand hers and just squeezed. They waited.


	22. Chapter 22

~~~~22~~~~

Keith braced himself for the cold but the snow hit his nose, it felt like pinpricks of tiny needles. He shivered under the layers he was wearing. He flexed his right forearm, wondering what his voltcom was going to do when activated, since it was under a sweater, jacket and he had on gloves.

Xios was a cold planet, it never had summer or spring, just endless cool temperatures and long winters. Keith had landed deep in a forest, in one of the few places where snow wasn't drifted in large mountainous like lumps, causing uneven terrain. Yet the snow still managed to cut through the curtain of the strange trees that blossomed in such cold weather.

His scans showed a camp to his south, he'd send out probes, and studied the camp for a few days. Men and women with arms came and went, at times they came back wounded, and once they brought back a soldier that from Keith's other probe definitely came from Prince Seth's army at the castle. They were on the other side of the war - the side Keith wanted to learn about, the side Keith was sure he wanted to be on.

Slinging a pack onto his back, checking to make sure it was secure, it held his rations, and a blaster, in case the voltcom broke again, or froze in Xios sub-degree temperatures. He carefully started his way toward the camp, hoping he could fool them into thinking he was one of them, and learn what he could from the inside.

Wade was up to something here, it may not lead him to the Black Lion, but it might give him better insight into his enemy and that meant he'd have a better idea of how to follow the threads and leads he was given to find out where Wade had hid the center of Voltron's power.

He pushed the scarf he'd wrapped around his face up a bit more, leaving just enough room for air to get through his nostrils. He grabbed the iron bar he'd pulled off the ship since it was just there for aesthetic reasons and he knew he'd need some help walking on the terrain.

Keith started toward the south, against the wind, into oncoming ice and snow, and bowed his head down, steeled his inner focused, and moved at a good steady pace, internally calculating the time, so he would take a break in two hours.

~~~~.~~~~

Allura had her hands on her hips as she surveyed the room they were going to putting a comatose Farla in, frowning and worrying. Were their enough flowers. She swallowed. "Gailey," she called out to one of the young nurses. "Please ask the gardeners to cut more of the Roses of Lyra, to bring in. Have them bring fresh ones daily."

"Yes ma'am, but we..."

Allura didn't want to hear the excuse that Arus had a limited amount of flowers, the flowers grew quickly and they had the ability to plant more. "Have them plant more," she ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Allura nodded and then turned to the electrician who was just stepping down his ladder. "Is it set?"

"Yes ma'am, was just about to test it," he said, pulling out a remote control from his pocket and hitting a button. The lilting sounds of Lyran mouth flute music started to play throughout the room. "We have downloaded the twenty head and soul injury songs Lady Farla's family sent us, as well another fifteen songs they said she enjoys."

Allura nodded feeling a small sense of accomplishment. "Thank you, Dorning."

"My pleasure, Your Highness," He said, placing the remote onto the table by the hospital bed in the center of the room.

Allura stared at the bed, with it's stark white sheets and blanket, Farla would lay there, looking asleep, without much of a shot of waking up if she was understanding Dr. Gorma correctly. Allura closed her eyes, prayed to her Gods, prayed to her father. Farla had been coming here to warn them, to tell them something and it'd cost her so much, and they didn't even know what the information was so Farla's sacrifice could mean something.

Allura breathed in deeply to stop the tears that were threatening to spill out of her eyes. She heard a sound at the door and turned, expecting it to be medical personnel moving Farla from ICU to her room. It was Lance, he looked around the room, walked passed her and when to the largest flower that had it's own large pot, fingered one of its off-pink petals. "This is beautiful, Allura. The music, the flowers, she'll appreciate it," he said.

Allura walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. She'd barely seen him the past two days. He'd either been with Farla, passed out at the foot of her bed in ICU, or fighting a simulation Lotor in the dojo they'd used to use for training. "You look, better but still tired, you sleep in your own bed."

"I guess. Gorma wanted one more brain scan before they moved her here."

Allura nodded, that was why he wasn't with her then. "Lance? We have to go Xios, I know you rather stay..."

He turned toward her, his hand coming up and touched her shoulder. "You've been so great about all of this, why the hell are you putting up with me?"

Allura gave him an arched brow in response. "Because you needed time. I know that when you met her she made a impression. She's been on our side for years. She's risked her life..." Allura's own voice caught. "I have to think that you might, you might love her?" she asked finally because she wanted to know, she'd been wondering and hating herself for it. Hating herself for being hurt by it, with her own mixed feelings about Keith and Lance, who was she to be upset about another woman who might have a spot in Lance's heart.

"I could've maybe loved her," Lance said. "I do, in a way. Timing, timing was never right, Allura. She's amazing, but she's just a friend but not... she's not you." His hand moved from her shoulder, to her face, and he bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. "You're right about Xios. Go tell the douche we're coming."

Allura took hold of his hand, the one touching her face. She held it, then reached up and kissed him softly. "I'm going to have faith she'll wake up, Lance. While we are gone, she'll heal and she'll wake up."

As she let go of his hand and pulled away, she saw he didn't really believe her but he was trying too. She widened her smile. "Have faith, Lance," she said before turning around and leaving room. As she turned the corner of the hallway the gurney carrying Farla come into view, a nurse at her head wheeling the IV along with her. They stopped as Allura put up her hand for them to, and squeezed between a nurse and the wall. She took one of Farla's hands, closed her eyes and quietly said an Arusian prayer of healing. "Thank you," she said to the nurses before she walked away.

~~~~.~~~~

Lance stepped out of the way when Farla was brought in, watched as the nurses moved her from the gurney onto the bed, trying not to notice how small she looked, how frail her arms and legs looked, her skin nearly as pale as the sheets. He failed miserably, he ran his hands over his face, he bent his head down and he looked at his boots. Waiting for the nurses to leave, happy they ignored his presence completely. Something else he was sure he needed to thank Allura for. After the first night when he refused to leave Farla's side and gotten in a screaming match with the head nurse, he hadn't had any other problems.

He grabbed the plush chair that had been placed in the room for visitors, Allura once again coming to mind, and pulled it as close to the bed as he could it while leaving himself leg room. He sat down, took Farla's hand in both of his and shook his head. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, again. He'd said a million times but until she heard it and accepted it, or rejected it felt like empty words. The words held no power because the person the meant for couldn't hear them.

He'd held her in his arms before once, when she'd been weak, near death, having taken on Lotor when he had destroyed her planets reason for being, destroyed the flowers. Lyra worshiped the flowers, Lyra made money and any power they had in the universe was because of the flowers. Farla was a Guardian, which was a soldier. Yet she hadn't been able to do much against explosives with bows and arrows, they were such a simple people. The Alliance was taken advantage of Lyra. Wade was taken advantage of Lyra, Lance amended his thought, he gritted his teeth, the overwhelming urge to hit something rising up in him. Or rather someone.

"Damn it. What were you coming here to tell us? What were you risking everything for? Why did I ask you to stand against the Alliance for? I shouldn't have put you in that position, there was no way you could take it back after I left. It was reckless, stupid, I'm so sorry Farla," Lance bent his head over her, closed his eyes, giving no attention to the tears that fell from them as he visualized shooting Wade in the head, multiple times.

~~~~.~~~~

Keith wiped at his eyes, everything was too white, it was all a blur of snow and ice. He couldn't see straight, he checked his compass, he was keeping south it said, but he felt like he was walking nowhere. He'd made it out of the woods, but now he felt he was in a no man's land. He felt numb from his toes to the roots of his hair. He'd been walking upward for awhile now, his feet slipping on the snow that felt more like ice under his feet. This planet was officially on his crap list, for a lot reasons, people were fighting over who got to rule it? That was crazy - no one chose the legacies they born too.

He kept walking, he'd taken one ten minute break, he'd eaten some rations but he was better off moving, in the cold. Moving until he found the camp, that he knew was out there somewhere. He couldn't see past his own nose, he kept the iron pole out a head of him, walking like a blind man.

The more Keith walked however the more his gut told him something was wrong, his feet felt less and less solid underneath him, he was unsteady, he was shivering, his teeth were chattering in his mouth. He picked up speed, if he just plowed ahead maybe he'd find steadier ground. Keith pushed and pushed, his instincts yelling at him to run, to stop, to turn and hide. Yet he couldn't do anything but go forward he had no way of listening to the sense he had that something was about to go wrong - but wait for it.

It happened after about eleven more steps, he pushed the pole down into the ice and the ice cracked, snapped and Keith fell down several feet landing wrong on his cold-numbed feet, falling back and hitting his head on the ground in the odd cavern that was below him.

His appearance shocked two men, with swords on their sides, walkie talkies and red armbands on their left arms, who had been about to leave the cavern after getting water from the small spring within it. They looked at each other and at Keith, shrugged, walked over and picked up him between them to carry him.


	23. Chapter 23

~~~~23~~~~

Prince Seth slammed his desk with his fist, cracking the old weathered wood that lasted centuries in service of the Kings of Xios; he thought nothing of it, it was just another crack added since his time in the castle. He was furious about what had just happened. Wade had told him - promised him - that if he captured the attention of Princess Allura of Arus his plans would be set. She held the most power in the Universe. Arus was a jewel of a planet, all the planets of the Alliance respected her and respected her ambassador, Coran. Her own army was second only to the Galaxy Alliance army itself - and it was rumored some believed that it was stronger. Then there was the Princess herself, beautiful, smart, a bit more willful than Seth preferred his women but he could beat it out of her easily enough. He'd done it plenty of times before.

He needed her power. Wade had ensured him that with it, Prince Seth could quickly go beyond being the leader of Xios and a few moons in his own quadrant of the galaxy. He could rule over other planets - and keep up his side deals with Wade, keeping them richer beyond their dreams. They would build up armies that would surpass both the Alliance and Arusian Armies because they would be thinking further outside of the box, pushing the limits of both mecha and not allowing the limits of humanity to stop them.

That was if Seth married Princess Allura. The problem was Princess Allura had just informed him she was bringing Commander Larkin with her to Xios. He was not escorting in name only - as he'd been at the Ball where Prince Seth had been demeaned by that puny man. She'd said Commander Larkin would be her date, and that they would be requiring only one room for the stay.

One room for the stay?

Seth almost admired Allura's boldness. He would, if it didn't infuriate him that by her behaving so non-traditionally that she was going to be nearly impossible to sell on a marriage of great political favor. Or even one of mutual need - he needed to be married soon, the leader of Xios must be a King, a married King. He had to find a Queen, and Arusian Law stated that if the Princess of Arus did not wed by the time she reached twenty-five that she would be forced to finally choose among the Princes available to her. She was gaining in age, but she had time - maybe he could try press on her that time moved fast?

Yet one room, Allura was bold, she must know doing something so un-Princess like would get across the Galaxy. He had Media everywhere in the Castle, covering his parties, covering him, he wanted the Universe to know him, see him, because he was going to own them, they should know his face, hear his voice and know his stature. It might create a ripple in her popularity, people's respect for her might lessen? Seth frowned, he didn't like it all, he'd have to talk to Wade about this before she arrived.

He stalked out of his room to find a maid. To tell her to fix up one of the better rooms for Princess Allura and her commander. The thought of Larkin made him sneer - if they fought again this time it wouldn't end until Larkin claimed his last breathe.

~~~~.~~~~

"Princess, I couldn't possibly have heard you right?" Xara was at the door to her office.

Allura shut down her office computer. "Have you packed everything, for both me and Commander Larkin?"

"Princess Allura?"

"Xara, just answer the question please," Allura asked, kindly but firmly. She didn't want to fight with Xara, but she had reasons for what she was doing, were they a bonus for her, yes. But it was safer for herself, if she was closer to Lance the entire trip. It was safer for Lance if he was closer to her, as well for that matter. It gave Prince Seth a direct statement of her lack of interest, in a lot of ways, it would give every Prince in the Universe a direct statement of her lack of interest. Did she want to share a room with Lance? Yes, was she interested in Lance? Yes. So, she was getting what she wanted. She had other important reasons. Prince Seth and the world was about to find out she wasn't going to be a Traditional Princess, as if she ever was, she'd flown Blue Lion, she'd actively protected her planet and her people. She wasn't stopping now because fate had temporarily taken Voltron away.

"Yes, I put the dresses you wanted, as well as the tuxedoes you ordered from town in Commander Larkin's size. And packed his winter clothes, as well as yours. It's quite cold there, I packed your warmer dress coats to wear over most of the dresses to be on the safe side."

"Thank you."

"But did I hear you right?"

"Yes, you did."

"Sharing a room, publicly? Princess..."

"I know what I am doing," Allura said, standing up. "Excuse me, I need to go arrange for a Arusian Class 2 Shuttle."

"Class 2, wait isn't that only a 2 person shuttle?"

"Yes, it is," Allura stated. "Only, Lance and I are going to Xios. I'm not bringing any attendants, or any of our pilots."

"Princess!"

"No. Xara, this isn't negotiable, it isn't safe."

"What?"

Allura sighed, she hadn't meant to say that out loud, but Xara had been on her last nerve since her insinuation about Lance not being deserving of her. "My father appeared to me, Xara. He said some things that I believe relate to Xios. Lance and I as Voltron Force members need to be there, alone. It's our trial, to face," she took Xara's hand. "We'll be fine, and Commander Larkin will protect me."

"I don't doubt that, Princess, it's just... This new relationship, whatever it is, did it start on Earth?"

"Yes," Allura said.

"I just, I thought you liked Commander Quinn, he was also so - regal." Xara said.

Allura nodded. "Yes, Keith is a good man. A wonderful man but he's not perfect, nor is Lance. Who is also a good and wonderful man. We're going alone, Xara. Xara, just tell Nanny what she's always known and has just denied. I'm not going to be a traditional princess, ever. I flew in battle, I won't marry a prince, but I will rule Arus to best of my abilities."

"But if you aren't going to marry a prince?"

Allura sighed. "I will marry - Keith or Lance, Xara. I've known that a long time, I think, I just never let myself think about it. They clearly my only choices. Which is fine," Allura smiled, blushing a deep pink. "Because what other man could ever measure up to their bravery, their honor, their friendship, their sacrifices for Arus, their sacrifices for me personally, their unique special quirks. Not one I have ever met, certainly not any Prince I have met, even those who have fought, even those with honor."

"I just never knew you felt this way about Commander Larkin."

"I had a crush on Keith, I became friends with Lance. Different roads, different men," Allura said. "I really don't have time, I have to get the ship ready, Lance won't be ready to leave Farla until the last minute."

Allura walked past Xara, who was shaking her head trying to take in what Allura had said. Allura hoped she processed it enough to at least give Nanny the gist, though she was sure two minutes after the media got hold of her and Lance's arrival on Xios she'd have long video messages of yelling 'concern' from both her and Coran.

~~~~.~~~~

Lance frowned as he closed the door to Farla's hospital room and saw Xara waiting for him outside the door. Her arms where crossed against her chest defensively but the way she stood showed she was ready to go into battle with him. He ran a hand through his hair nervously and said hello, politely but he walked by her and wasn't surprised when she kept up with his steps.

"Commander Larkin."

"Lance, Xara, call me Lance," he said, like he'd been saying for years.

"Commander Larkin," Xara repeated pointedly, "I would like to discuss Princess Allura with you."

"Allura? What about her?" Lance asked, playing it stupid, even as they both knew they were walking towards Allura herself, even though they both knew what Xara wanted to lecture him about.

Thinking about Allura Lance couldn't help but smile, even if the emotions that rose were at the moment bittersweet. She'd been perfect the past two days, absolutely perfect about Farla, she'd sent him a message that she'd taken care of everything for the Xios trip, to just meet her at the shuttle when he was ready to leave Farla - and not to rush on her behalf at all.

"Do you realize what you have done? She was to remain a virgin until her wedding day," Xara said, getting right to her point.

Lance opened a door and waited for Xara to walk through it before him. "All I know is I asked her what she wanted and she said told me, Xara. Beyond that, I don't think it's much of your business."

"Are you using her? Because your reputation, the women you have slept with - despite the fact they are your biggest supporters in regards to this situation with the Princess - she better not be a notch on your belt."

"I don't have notches, Xara," Lance said, rolling his eyes. "And I don't even know what you are talking about? Supporters?"

"My maids, the soldiers, anyone else who works in the castle. Every since you two made that run down to the control room, her dressed the way she was and you barely dressed at all. It was indecent, it was not proper and it's all anyone is talking about. And oddly enough I have found that all the women you have slept with, feel that you will make the Princess happy and she you. Which I find unsettling to say the least."

Lance himself had to raise a brow at that but he shrugged at Xara. "I can't really care about the Castle gossip. As for what is proper behavior for Allura or not, I've never much agreed with any of the hoity-toity crap Nanny and Coran had tried to force on her. It's a new age, Xara, you know this. She's a pilot, a trained soldier. We trained her and we were special operations, so she's special operations. She's not a doll, she's not a bird in a cage, she's a woman and she's going to do what is right for her and for her planet. And it's not following traditions that might have made sense centuries before she was born."

Xara sighed. "She mentioned that this trip you two are taking, it's dangerous. King Alfor..."

"He spoke a riddle to her and yeah, it's probably going to come true."

"You will protect her?"

Now Lance felt offended. "What the hell, Xara who do you take me for? Some stranger, I've been risking my life for her for years, you really think I'd stop now, when..." he trailed off his voice falling into a bit of growl and stalked off ahead of Xara, leaving her in his wake. Would he protect her? What a stupid question.

He still felt pissed off as he stalked onto the tarmac and spotted the Arusian Shuttle 2 that they were taking to Xios and saw Lieutenant Felix Heddar doing preflight checks on the outside panels. "Report," he barked, making the young man jump - visibly - in his skin.

"Commander Larkin! Uh, oh, it's in great shape. Everything is in working order," he held up his computer pad with all the details on it. "See."

Taking the board, Lance focused on engine reports and how they were all in the 100 percentile of excellence for flight readiness. He nodded, still pissed off at the idea that he wouldn't be protecting Allura, wouldn't be good to Allura, couldn't take care of Allura. It was building up inside of him, then there was the guilt about Farla nagging at him, telling him he might fail Allura too. What happens then?

"Good job," he said but it came out more of a growl.

"Uh, sir, are you okay?" Lieutenant Heddar asked, Lance turned and looked at him, the kid was beet red, looking at his feet. "I mean, thank you sir, I just have one more panel to check. Princess Allura is inside doing the preflight system check herself," he babbled out quickly.

Lance sighed, ran a hand through his hair and laughed. "Sorry, kid. I'm just... There is a lot going on."

"With,"

"The Princess,"

"Lady Farla," Lieutenant Heddar said.

Lance looked at the young soldier felt relief wash over him. "Uh, yeah. Farla, she's an important woman. I hate leaving her, but it's important Allura and I go to Xios, otherwise I'd be still in her hospital room. I don't think she should be alone, even if she is in a coma."

"I could visit her, sir. I could read to her, or something. I read somewhere that they do hear us, check on her for you?" Heddar offered.

Lance looked the kid up and down, remembered how'd he been in the control the day of the crash, on the ball, a bit embarrassed by his and Allura's appearance. He seemed younger than his age, yet a capable soldier. "Why would you offer that?"

"My father is Arusian Preacher, sir, he says we should always offer our assistance to others."

Lance nodded. "Sure, go ahead, I'll send Gorma a message about it. Give me a report if there is any change. I'll send you her family's contact information, I'm sure she has favorite stories."

"I will sir, the last panel, sir," Heddar said, pointing toward it.

"Go ahead," Lance said, walking toward the entrance to the shuttle.


	24. Chapter 24

This chapter's end is NC-17 for Sex. Just warning you. :-)

~~~~23~~~~

Lance found Allura sitting in the pilot's seat of the shuttle, her knees tucked under her chin, her fingers playing with the hem of the dress she was wearing absently. Her tiara was on the console, and pushed most of her hair over one shoulder, but there were a few flyaway strands. The effect was she looked her age, she looked younger than her age, her features were those that would read as youthful for years to come. Allura looked beautiful but vulnerable and sad. The other effect was all the anger that Xara had set off inside of him dissipated at the sight of her looking lost. Lance frowned and sat down in the copilot's chair and moved it close to her, than grabbed her chair and swiveled it toward him.

"You okay?" he asked, trying to catch her eye.

Allura nodded, dropping her feet to the floor, she leaned forward. "I was just...thinking."

Lance shook his head at her. "Dangerous occupation, I highly recommend against it. I got where I am today by never thinking a plan through thoroughly," he winked at her.

Allura laughed, her smiling lighting up her face. "I was thinking about what Father said," she reached forward and grabbed his hand, interlocking their fingers as tightly as she could. "I...I was also thinking, that I've put you in the deep end of the ocean without telling you, and that Keith..."

"Uh, okay where am I treading water?"

"I informed Prince Seth that you were my date and we'd be needing only one room - the press he's invited for the lead up to his Coronation Ball are going to have a field day with it, Lance. Nanny and Coran..."

"Are going to want my head on a platter."

"And Keith, Keith's going be there somewhere and it's, it is how he's going to find out about us - and I don't..."

"Want to hurt him, or him misunderstanding anything?"

Allura nodded, staring at their linked hands. "You either, I don't want you misunderstanding anything either."

Lance swallowed over a sudden lump in his throat, he'd been doing a lot of thinking himself while he'd been sitting with Farla, talking to her, finding that no matter how hard he tried not too, he ended up talking about Allura. "I don't think I am," he said. "I know we promised we wouldn't deny anything we feel in the moment, right?" he asked, his free hand out, pushing a wayward strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers staying there, skimming the rim of her ear as she turned into the touch.

"No. I want to share the room with you, I want you to know that. Even though I'm also doing this, to show Prince Seth, and every other prince, Nanny, Coran and anyone else with the opinion I should marry a prince, that I am not going too. I also felt given what Father said - we'd be safer if we could watch each other backs."

Lance grinned, he couldn't help it, he'd never liked it when Nanny and Coran had started in on her about proper behavior. Trying to shove her into some sort of box that he knew she didn't fit into. Allura was too strong, to much her own person, who knew her own mind. She didn't need to be told what was best for Arus, she had her own instincts to help her rule her people and when she needed help she asked. "You know I'm behind you on all of that, Baby. One hundred percent."

Allura took his other hand in hers, gripping onto both his hands tightly. "You always were, if I had a hard time finding my voice when I knew I was right in defying them, I would seek out your eyes and I'd find it again. I'm sorry for whatever it is they will say to you," she said, shaking her head.

"Don't worry about it."

"I at least know what I will say to them, it will shut up Coran. Nanny, she'll call me a silly little girl, even though she's seen him, she still denies Father's ghost."

"You're going to tell them the choosing between me and Keith thing?" Lance asked.

Allura nodded.

"They'll feel better about that then, they'll think you'll choose Keith." Lance pulled free of her grip and turned toward the console and started doing the preflight check.

"Lance?"

"Yeah," he muttered pressing buttons.

"I did that already, systems are fine," Allura said.

"You know I like to triple check," he said.

"On me?" she said.

Lance turned and gave her a sharp look. "On everyone."

Allura sighed, and shook her head. "Stop being so insecure."

"I'm..." Lance stopped what he was going to say when he met her eyes, she was boring through him, seeing straight into his core and she knew and he knew. He was being insecure. "Fine, I'm being insecure."

"I need to talk to Keith, Lance. All I know about Keith right now is that I had a crush on him, he was brave, moralistic, noble, he reminded me of my father. He was handsome. I had a crush, it grew and when I told him I loved him and I put the ball in his court after waiting for so long for something happen... He left without saying a word. I don't know why, I don't even know how he could do that. Or why he never said anything. He never even touched me. We talked but never really spoke with each other. Sometimes I feel like I barely know him, Lance. What I know about you and me, what I know about us is. You know me better than anyone, I can talk to you about anything, you're my best friend. I love you and I could be falling in love with you...And I can keep my hands off of you - and I keep thinking about that time we were arguing in the catacombs of the Castle, trying to get back to the team and Father appeared to us."

"That was a trippy one, and we keep bringing it up," Lance said, his heart pounding, wondering where Allura was going on it. She'd never figured it out, never had tried to decipher what her father had meant by it, past the fact that after he'd spoken a wall had crumbled that had opened a passage way that got them to safety and led them to the rest of the team, so they could form Voltron. But Alfor had said so much more, things about Lance being a true leader, and Allura trusting in his instincts for family - it had never made sense. Then there had been something about Voltron having a time apart where things came togther

"It was," Allura said. "But we never fight, Lance, but that fight we were fighting about Larmina."

"About what to do with her," Lance said, "I remember."

"You were holding her, you thought she'd be safer staying with us. You were pissed I'd led us to Father's tomb, where I wanted to leave her. You were refusing to leave her there, screaming at me for leading us there where were currently at a dead end," Allura said. "And you were right, she was just getting used to me, and I wanted to leave her alone in a tomb. You knew it'd terrify her. That was what father meant when he said I should trust your instincts about family...our family, my family. All of us are family, and you always watch out for us that way. But I think he was talking about leading Arus too, with me - because you have been. I've been running almost all my hard decisions by you, and with every one you've helped me see the bigger picture. You would be a great leader of Arus, Lance. A good King, even if it'd be non-traditional for you to be called that."

Lance stared at her a huge lump his throat, his heart pulsing in his ears and he tried to open his mouth to say something but he couldn't find the right words to tell her how crazy she sounded, or how unbelievable such a compliment was to him that it was just impossible to accept it without feeling like he was a complete egotist.

"Are you crazy?" he finally asked.

"Am I rushing you, I mean I'm just saying I can see it, married you, being your Queen, I don't want you doubt that. I don't want you feel rushed but don't think I'm going automatically pick Keith the minute I see him either."

Lance shook his head, he had no plans to tell her, not until she chose him - if she did - he knew where he stood. He loved her, he'd marry her in a hot second, and face down whatever Hell Coran, Nanny, and anyone else sent his way. That is what he'd put together, talking it out with Farla's hand in his, between his apologies to her. "No, you aren't rushing me. It's the whole King thing, that's insane, Allura...that's..."

Allura stuck her tongue out. "Take the compliment," she said, then pulled the dress she was wearing over her head, winked at him and ordered. "Get us in the air, put it on autopilot and meet me our sleeping quarters."

She wasn't wearing anything under the dress, no bra, no panties, his eyes dropped down then back up. His inner monologue was still been focused on her telling him he'd be a good King. He was stuck on how she was twisting a few late night conversations between them on the communications relay from Earth to Arus meant he'd help her run the planet. But in one quick move, Allura had his brain function reduced to the monosyllabic.

Milky smooth skin, skin that he knew was soft everywhere his hands could reach was uncovered, she had nothing underneath the dress, nothing at all, and he his pulse was in his ears even as his blood flowed directly to his cock. His eyes kept darting from her firm perky breast down to her nether regions. "Fuck," he muttered.

"See you soon," she laughed as she turned and left.

Lance turned, finished his preflight check, and shot the shuttle up and out of Arusian space as quickly as he could, without knocking him or Allura about within it. He then for the first time in his life, happily put the shuttle onto autopilot onto the route toward Xios.

~~~~.~~~~

Allura closed her eyes, feeling the rise of the shuttle as it belted out of Arus's atmosphere at a speed she was sure was not recommended in any book on flying. She could feel it, from her feet up to the crown of her head, but the shuttle's gravity and stability thrusters remained intact and it was a smooth glide outward. She glanced out the small window that was in the small room that served as a bathroom in the shuttle, saw nothing but space and shivered. She was naked in space, she blushed noting in the mirror before that the flush started in between her breasts and worked upward and wide v pattern. Onto her breasts, her neck, then getting it's brightest on her cheeks.

She picked up the bottle, she'd gotten from Dr. Gorma that afternoon, wanting to read the label one more time, wanting to make sure just one more time... Lance wasn't the only who needed to triple check things she thought, smiling as she read the instructions:

_take 2 tablets the first week, then once a week regularly for prevention of pregnancy_

_takes effect immediately_

_does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases_

The door slid open, Lance was behind her, his pants still on, belt unbuckled he walked up behind him and moved her hair out of his way and bit her ear before whispering into it. "I don't really know how I remembered how to fly after that, damn, woman," he started to kiss her neck.

Allura gave him access to her neck, moved her hair, and dropped the bottle on the counter. It started to roll, and would have fallen on the floor if Lance hadn't grabbed it with his other hand, stopping his ministrations on her neck, looking worried. "What's this for? Are you okay?" he looked at it.

"I'm fine, it's birth control," she laughed, taking it putting back on the counter, right side up. "I was just checking that I took it right," she said, taking his hand.

He was giving her that look he'd been giving her a lot later, the one that made her shake from the inside out, from anticipation, that made her just want to touch him, hold him, kiss him. The one that made it really hard to imagine not being near him, all the time, for as long as was possible. He grinned at her, and scooped her up in his arms, kissed her on mouth, open, full and wet. It was a hungry kiss, it match her own need.

It'd been days since they'd first done this, they'd been woken up after that first night, interrupted the morning after by trauma and pain. He'd been too guilty and felt he needed to be with Farla. She understood that, and at Xios, who knew how much time they'd really have to be alone, to touch, to kiss, to make love. She kissed him back just as hungrily as he kissed her.

She let out a peel of laughter because just before they hit the bed, he turned them so he was on his back and she landed straddling his hips. She frowned, "It's not fair, you're still half-dressed."

"Well, I've been acting like a proper commander and wearing all my clothes, Princess," he laughed, arching his hips off the bed for her as she yanked off his pants and his boxers at the same time.

"But being proper is not fun," Allura laughed.

"Jesus, were, were you seriously walking around the castle in just that dress?"

"No," Allura laughed, I was going to try, but I couldn't make myself step out of my room, I had to put on panties. I took them off when I got here," she duck her head as she told him, straddling his hips and moving down to kiss him, pressing his erection between their bellies.

"Still hot as hell," Lance whispered, after the kiss, his hands massaging her breasts, and tweaking his nipples, making her feel and want things she hadn't thought she wanted or felt. Everything was pooling hot and wet in her pussy, and she was leaning over him, pressing herself against his cock more often than his belly, silently asking for what she couldn't quite say out loud.

"Want you to ride me," Lance said the next time their eyes met, after another messy dueling-tongue kiss.

"Yes," she agreed, and his hand grabbed hers, placing it on his erection, sliding it up and down a few times, so her own juices and his precome covered it, then he helped her guide himself inside of her. Allura watched, her hand engulfed by his larger one, wrapped around the base of his cock as it sank inside of her, filling her up, feeling so right. Lance let go, she let and she sank fully onto of him, with him all the way inside.

Lance was kissing her in the space between her breasts then and Allura realized her eyes had fallen closed. She opened them and met his gaze, then they were kissing, slowly, and his hands fell to her hips and gripped and pulled and she lifted up, following his guided lead. Then it she was just lost in the rhythm, she moved up and down, he thrust his hips with her, he moved slightly to the lift or the right, and then she saw stars and cried out his name. He kept up thrusting there, and she kept moving there, until she felt him coming after her and she collapsed on top of him and they kiss lazily until they both fell asleep.


	25. Chapter 25

~~~~25~~~~

Prince Xan of Xios watched the man shivering on the cot before him, he'd been hurt in his fall, a small head wound that had looked worse than it was, but a tree root had torn through his pants and cut his leg. It had become infected. They were treating him, Xan could only guess he was an human of some kind, Earth, Arus, Terran Three, there was many possible planets and Xan's knowledge of them was very limited. His family had been thrown from the Castle when he was ten, he'd been surviving in the snow and the caverns of Xios for over half his life now, the most technical of things he had were blasters and walkie-talkies that were always failing, always falling apart.

He nodded as another one of his friends - his followers - came in with another blanket. Xiosians it seemed could handle colder temperatures than smaller humanoid creatures, such as the man he was watching.

He was dreaming, feverish dreams,. Tia the young girl, who had just grasped the functions of the herbs of the caverns when Seth's men had killed her parents had told Xan her medicine would make his dreams more vivid, more real. Xan only hoped whatever the man was dreaming it was something good.

It still didn't explain who he was, or why he was out in the snow, walking towards Xan's camp - he was probably responsible for the strange probes they had found, of unknown technology, Xan was wary. He wanted to trust this stranger but what he wanted never seemed to be what he got.

"Prince Xan?"

Xan turned, his eyes slitting to focus on the face of the unknown voice at the door to his quarters, it was woman - no a mother, with a daughter. He walked towards them. "Yes?" he asked wondering what had brought them to his door, as he had never talked to her before. She was someone who worked in the kitchen tent he thought, someone who kept her head down but did her job, and kept her daughter in check.

"My daughter, she saw the man brought in, she seems to think she knows who he is, Your Highness. I didn't want to bother you, but she wouldn't stop," the woman said, her face coloring, her eyes darting all over the room but never focusing on them.

Xan looked down, the daughter, was trying to look around him. His body blocked her view of the man, she was standing on her toes, she held a toy and piece of paper in her hand, she was craning her neck as much as she could. Her eyes near slits as she tried to pinpoint focus on the bed with them.

"What is your name?" Xan asked, kneeling down, to her eye level. She was eleven he realized, short for her age, but keen eyes, smart expression.

"Alla," she said. "He's Voltron."

Xan stood and whipped his own eyes back on the man in cot, in the corner of his quarters shivering, with a fever, hopefully dreaming something good. He looked down at the girl. "Why do you think that?"

She held out the toy and the paper. "I got them from a house we ravaged for food when I was little. It's Him. Commander Keith Quinn, Black Lion Pilot. That's my action figure. This...this a poster of him, with Commander Lance Larkin and Princess Allura. See, him. That's him. I know. It's Voltron. He's still Voltron, he never stopped! He came to help!" She looked earnest, innocent and certain. "May I see him closer?"

Xan made a noise in his throat as he took the poster from her outstretched hand, Alla took it to mean she could go look at who she was sure was hero, so she ran in. Her mother called after her, but Xan held up his hand. "Your name?"

"Mira."

"Mira, let her stay, when would you like her home?"

"An hour before camp curfew is fine, Prince Xan. Is, is she right?"

Xan looked at the man in the center of the poster, standing tall in a black suit, holding a helmet in one hand. He looked back on the pale man on the bed. One larger than life in a poster meant to give people hope the heros that were giving hope to a full universe at one time. The other a sick man, in a bed. Were they the same. "I don't know yet."

"Alla, behave!" Mira called out before she turned to go.

"I will."

Xan turned to see Alla large round amber eyes full of tears. "He's hurt?"

"Infected, we're healing him."

"I could hold his hand, tell him we believe in him."

Xan didn't think it could hurt, he kicked a stool at her.

She took it and sat down and grabbed the man's hand. "Hi, Keith. Can i just call you Keith? I'm just going to call you Keith. We're taking care of you, you have a infection, but we can take care of that. We fix that all the time, and you'll be okay. You came to help us didn't you. You came to help Prince Xan get his throne back? Right, Keith?"

"Allura?" the man called out weakly. "Allura!" he repeated more urgently.

Alla turned. "That's the Princess of Arus. See! I'm going to keep talking."

Xan looked from the poster to the man again, there was resemblance, he was calling out for the Princess of Arus. Maybe he was the leader of the Voltron Force, the one that had gone underground, seeking to prove that Sky Marshall Wade of the Alliance had sabotaged Voltron. Everyone knew the story, most found it insane...

Xan been fighting the same battle all his life, now and again some of the people following him would break, and think they were insane to keep fighting a losing battle. He would never give up, maybe he could hope he could trust man - maybe just once he'd get to trust in something.

Maybe.

~~~~.~~~~

Allura jumped awake because next to her Lance suddenly jerked awake, every muscle tense and sat up straight in the bed. She followed his lead and was about to ask him what it was that woke him when he shh'ed her with his hand the air. Then he swore, and ran out of the room buck naked. As his foot disappeared into the main room of the shuttle, the near-collision warning alarm started blaring.

"How does he do that," she muttered, climbing out of the bed. She opened the small closet in the room and saw that Xara had hung up robes and pajamas for both them. She slipped on the shirt of Lance's pajamas and grabbed the pants, grabbed a pair of panties from a drawer, hopped into them, and walked her way slowly to the cockpit, not at all worried they were going to hit any wayward meteors or asteroids.

"What was our impending doom?" she asked from the doorway to the cockpit.

"Ship debris," Lance muttered, putting the shields on the shuttle up to battle ready.

"What?" Allura said, concern filling her.

"We're in Xios quadrant, a lot of unknown factors this part of space, Allura. I should have had that conversation with Coran... he wasn't thrilled with their entry. There are still planets around here we don't know much about. Do you recognize the markings on the ship?"

She tossed him the pajamas bottoms. "It's freezing in here," she said, then she started to pulled up images of the debris on a smaller screen in front of her, pressing buttons and pushing. "No, I don't know this language at all, it looks like most languages based on a hieroglyphics yet...I don't recognize it all."

"Could be from any planet," Lance muttered, pulling up planet charts and looking at the route that been chosen between Arus and Xios. "Okay, this route was picked because it was the straightest line, right?"

"Yes, I wanted us to make good time, since we are late arrivals."

Lance nodded, but started to push buttons, bringing up numbers, planets and route possibilities faster than Allura could keep up with. She sat back and just watched him work, all the while the pajamas laying across his lap because he just didn't have time to care about clothing.

He was pinpoint focused, tongue poking out between his lips, plotting out the new route he was taking, while still flying manual and keeping an eye out for any more debris. Allura also noticed he was scanning the nearby moons and planets, when the system picked up life form readings and a blip showed up on her side of the cockpit. She looked at it, put the planet on her screen and saw that it was a small green one, that had no signs of space flight yet. "They aren't space ready there, yet," she mumbled out loud more to herself than anything.

"Relay everything to Pidge, will you."

"Okay,"

"There," he said, "I'm taking us around that orange planet, there," he said.

Allura looked up on the main screen.

"If I fly us fast enough, it will shoot us around and right on track, we'll get there in the same amount of time, just from another direction."

Allura smiled. "Okay," she said, looking over to see him hopping into the pajamas bottoms. "How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That the collision alarms were going to go off?"

"Ship started flying different, why I woke up, then I just had figure out what it was once I was awake. I didn't know exactly what it was I'm not like a Jedi Master or something."

"Jedi Master?"

Lance groaned. "We still haven't gotten you to watch Star Wars?"

Allura shrugged. "Never have time."

"First date, watching it."

Allura smiled. "Okay. It's a date then."

Lance hit a few more buttons, then fell into his usual relaxed position of flying, and he frowned. "We really should've gone out a few times first, you know," he said, glancing over at her. "Dinner, a movie, do something special..." he shook his head.

Allura got comfortable in her chair. "I don't know, I mean, I've heard all about the date experience with Lance Larkin from both sides, what could've you done to be different?"

"Good point. one I don't have Red anymore, and even if I did. You'd be less than impressed with me showing off her impressive skills and shiny buttons, and seeing a volcano from the inside out. Been there done that."

"Then there was the walk in through my private garden date, where you'd ask either me or Keith to keep Nanny out of your hair for. I remember the night you were with one of my dressing maids, Leela, and I didn't know about it. So, I was out there practicing my high kicks. I don't know if she was more embarrassed at being caught in my private garden by me, or that you had her clothes all rumpled."

"Keith was supposed to tell you and deal with Nanny. He never could multitask. And it was both, she ranted about both the whole way back to her house, why she never the got a second date."

Allura laughed. "Also, what did Willa tell me once that I almost blew your cover on. Oh right, she was really impressed with how well you knew Arusian Astronomy, pointing out our constellations in the sky. Frankly, I never knew you were listening when I was telling you guys about them. Where did you take girls for that?"

"Top of Altea Mountain, top of Red's head with a blanket with a picnic basket of fruit and wine. And of course I was listening, it was good information, I knew it'd come in handy. But yeah, another thing that would be lost on you... 'So, Allura, hey did you know that constellation there is called the First Lion of Arus?'"

"Why yes I do Lance, because I just told you that just last week," Allura laughed. "You could tell me Earth's constellations."

Lance gave her a look. "Yeah, right, I can barely make out the big dipper."

Allura laughed but watched Lance's expression grow serious again, he looked over at her. "I can come up with something that's...that is just _for you_, Allura."

She felt her skin heat up, the butterflies fly in her stomach again and all she could do was grin at him because she didn't trust her voice for a reason she couldn't discern.


	26. Chapter 26

~~~~26~~~~

Keith blinked the Arus sun seemed too bright, Allura's skin seemed to glow before him; he couldn't keep up with her. He tried to follow her, as she took her bushel of apples, to the next door and knocked.

Another surprised family, another shout of "Oh my, the Princess at my door, what is this!" Allura smiled and said she was making sure everyone had enough fresh food. Keith held up the bags of fresh vegetables he held, the family was gracious, overwhelmed. Allura glowed seeing them take their share.

But then she was gone and he was facing a too bright sun again, it was hot and he couldn't catch up again. Allura was ahead of him, laughing, smile, looking back over her shoulder. "Keith, come on, keep up, there is so much to do, so much to accomplish for my people."

And they were in the lions. He was firing on her, having them all fire on her. Over and over again, until she figured it out, until she got evasion. Until she could handle it like a trained combat professional. He flinched as Lance went in and went full throttle on her, snarking at her through his com. Keith white knuckled it, forcing himself to not order Lance to back off.

"Come on Allura, show us what you're made of, hit us back," Lance said, after another volley, his voice different, his snark gone but too casual now, to low and not at all the way to talk to The Princess.

"I can, I can," Allura's mantra was, over and over, between small screams and cries of pain.

"Fire," Keith ordered and they all went another around, blasting at her.

And she rose out of the smoke and fired on them, surprising Keith more than anybody, filling him with pride and when she saw her later, her helmet off, flyaway hair out of her bun, she'd never looked more beautiful. But it'd been Lance who'd hugged her, Hunk who'd lifted her to his shoulder's and Pidge who had yelled. "Long live Princess Allura!"

Where was he? Keith slumped against a wall, it was rock, he lit a torch, he was in the tombs of the Castle of Lions. Allura stood before him, more beautiful than ever. "You are remembering things slightly wrong, you know? Lance never hugged me, he only snarked at me - it's his way sometimes. But yeah, you never did catch up."

"Allura?"

"No. But probably as close you can get, for awhile anyway. If I were to run would you run after me?"

"Of course?"

"Then why didn't you tell her, Keith?"

"She and I..."

"Right, you were going to be noble, grand, you were going to tell her what Coran wanted to hear and what she never wanted to hear."

Keith looked away from the woman that was not Allura.

"Coward. Maybe you should be braver, Commander. For someone who walks into fire, you are quite a fraud when it comes to bravery. You think she's slipping away, what if she has slipped away, completely. What if Allura got so far ahead of you, you can never catch up."

She started to fade away, Keith reached out, "No, Allura, no, don't go. Stay, tell me what I need to do, what do I say, I don't know how to fix the mistakes I made... If it's too late... Allura don't go. Allura!"

Keith felt slammed into his own body, and he found himself sitting up and reaching out to nothing but his head hurt, there was a burning sensation on his left leg and he was freezing. And staring right at him from a stool against the wall, was a man with perfectly round eyes and perfectly round face. The first thought Keith had was that Lance and Pidge's Xiosian intel had left out the fact their humanoid appearance wasn't exact to Earth humanoid. He'd never have passed for one of them, damn it.

"What's wrong with my leg?"

"It's healing, the herbs burn. Tia told me you might complain when you woke. Also why you're dreams were so vivid."

Keith felt his right arm, his voltcom was missing. "Where is the piece of machinery I had on my arm."

"You mean this," Xan stood up walked toward the bed and pulled it out from underneath it. "I couldn't figure it out."

Keith put it on and felt immediately better. "It's not a well known technology."

"Same as Voltron I'm assuming."

Keith eyed him. "Who are you?"

"Prince Xan, the rightful Prince of Xios. You?"

"I think you already know."

"If I can trust the young lady who gave me the intel, she'll be happy to see you are awake."

Keith forced himself out of the bed, he watched Prince Xan watch him. Xan had dark eyes, he was tall, he looked strong. Keith wondered at him not being cold, he was wearing only one layer of what looked like battle gear. "Where are my clothes?"

"Under the cot," Xan said, sharp eyes watch Keith.

Keith tested his weight on his left leg, it was just the bandage and whatever was under it burning, he could put his weight on it, he tested it. "Your herbalist is good," he said, impressed.

"It is a weapon, right?" Xan asked, eyes slitting at the voltcom.

"Yes," Keith asked, pulling out his pants to put on and his sweater, from under the bed.

"Thank you for not lying."

"I came here to offer my help, lying wouldn't get me trusted."

"No, no it wouldn't," Xan said.

The door to the room opened and a woman walked in, as tall as Keith, short dark hair and the same battle wary expression as Xan on her face. She held small two way communication devise. "There is a ship landing, Xan."

"Kind of late to the party, isn't it?" Xan said.

"Yes. But Prince Xios has everyone who is anyone he invited out there to great it. Sky Marshall Wade, every Princess and Prince. All the Ambassadors from the moons and planets in the quadrant, plus the media. I thought we should see."

"Put it up, this is Keith. I'm trusting him, for now."

Keith nodded. Xan did know who he was then, he was just waiting for Keith to confirm it to an outside source who hadn't arrived yet. Keith watched as the woman put the small box up and brought up a fuzzy picture, then she hit the top of the box. "Come on."

"Our technology is usually stolen and refurbished, as you see."

Keith bent down and opened a back panel, he undid and redid a few connections really quickly and the picture came back more clearly. He saw an Arusian Shuttle Two. "Allura," he said.

"Your dream woman," Xan with a slight raise of his eyebrow.

Keith gave him a look but shook his head. "Princess Allura of Arus. Why would she be coming here?"

"She was probably invited. Prince Seth is having two week gala of fun before his big coronation, he's hoping to find his Queen before the end of the week. Xios King's traditionally are wed as soon as they crowned," the woman explained.

"The real question is why is she late," Xan asked. "Arus, that's a pretty important planet, Seth must not be happy she arrived a full week late."

"What is she doing here at all? Why the hell did Lance let her come? He told me the situation here was probably worth checking out," Keith muttered, watching the screen, forgetting about Xan and his soldier.

The doors to the shuttle slid open and Allura appeared, with Lance's arm around her waist. She was wearing long dress blue dress, Lance a tuxedo, both them in royal blue coats, Allura's fell to her waist, Lance was a long coat. The media started to shoot pictures, the other princesses on the sidelines were either 'ooohing,' or frowning at Allura.

Prince Seth walked up to Allura, grinning widely, Keith clenched his fists when he saw that Wade was right behind Prince Seth, standing there watching, nodding his head to Lance in a silent hello, that Lance had no choice but to give back cordially. But Keith saw the clench in Lance's jaw, he saw Alllura's hand go to the hand that was clutching her waist and touch him. "He hates you more than ever, Wade, what did you do now?" Keith wondered out loud, a bad habit he'd gotten into on his travels.

"I thought you and the rest of the Voltron Force - for lack of anything else to call them - were on the outs?"

Keith jumped, he lectured himself silently on forgetting he was with company - company he didn't even know if could trust. "It's complicated."

"Most things are. Wade there, his father before him, helped Seth's father King Ridos, for years, he was his - off planet Resource Man. They called it. He'd bring him money, from what I don't know. In return King Ridos would give him our planet's Falling Stones."

"Falling Stones?"

"Gemstones," the soldier said, she pulled a small bag out of her pocket. Opening it Keith saw many shimmering yellow stones, they were small, but they were bright. "There from the caverns, where most of travel happens on this planet, mined deep below. They are how we create energy, create weapons. Or how we used to. Now Seth and his kind, they keep a monolopy on it and sell it off world. To who or why, we don't know. They can be used for jewels, but they are more important than that, they could be giving this whole planet a life again."

"What is your name?"

"Kyla, Prince Xan is a good leader, but he's bad on the niceities."

"Shh," Xan said holding up a hand. "I want to hear what happens here?"

Keith turned, the press was with Prince Seth, Wade, Lance and Allura.

"Princess Allura, first I have to ask you the question the whole galaxy is buzzing with!"

"What would that be?" Allura asked, looking innocent, but Keith caught her tell, she knew was was coming, she'd stepped back into Lance for more shelter, but she'd stood taller, her chin was up and she was in her Queen stance. Whatever was coming up was a fight Allura had started.

"Is it true? Are you and Commander Larkin a romantic item? And did you really request just one room for the two of you here at Prince Seth's Castle? Traditionally, this is just something a Princess never does?"

"Well, traditionally Princess's don't fight in battle for her people's freedom and safety either, Finley. Yes, I am with Lance, yes we will be sharing a room."

"So, then it's true. You have broken the Arusian tradition, you are no longer a virgin?" Finley Granger asked.

"Now, Finley, those type of questions seem totally below you? Shouldn't you asking us something more becoming of you?" Lance said, suddenly, stepping forward a bit, tucking Allura in closer to him.

Keith wanted to hit him, hit him square on his jaw. "What the..."

"What question would that be Commander Larkin?"

"Like what I am wearing, and just how good I look in it?" he winked at the reporter.

Prince Seth cleared his throat. "Enough with this media, let us go into the dinner party, I have arranged for arrival Princess Allura," Prince Seth said, waving for Allura to follow him. Lance cleared his throat. "Uh, you too Commander, of course."

Keith watched Wade go to stand next to Lance, walking in beside him and Allura, but the camera's didn't pick up anything he said. He watched Lance and Allura until Finley Granger's smug appeared and he turned off the computer, remembering just before he kicked it dead that it was one of Xan's few working communications devices.

They were sleeping together. It wasn't just a ruse. It wasn't just Lance escorting her somewhere like usual. This was real. Lance was sleeping with Allura. Allura was sleeping with Lance. Keith formed the sword with his voltcom without even realizing, turned and ran through the thick tent fabric that made up Xan's home. "NO!"

Kyla pulled out her blaster. "Stand down!"

Prince Xan shook his head and put his arm between her and Keith. "We can fix it."

"Prince Xan, he's incensed. He's crazy, that thing forms a sword."

Xan shook his head. "It's passion. I can work with that. It's what brought us all here, isn't it, Kyla."

"Yes, sir."

"Have our people in the Castle, watch his 'it's complicated friends'. I want to know what Zora's impressions are specifically."

"Yes, sir."

Keith felt mortified, he was still seeing red in regards to Allura and Lance but he felt mortified as to what he'd just done. It'd be wrong and he'd owed Prince Xan for helping him, for being nothing if not nice to him - even if not totally trusting.

"You should have let her take me down," Keith said, closing the sword.

"You'd do me no good in my prison tent. And I doubt I could make the sword."

"Probably not," Keith said and he sighed. "So you know who I am. Want to tell me more about you, those stones, Wade, and Prince Seth?"

"I'm not sure yet. I need you to meet one person first."

"Who?"

"The person who told me you were the Commander of Voltron Force."

"Why?"

Xan shrugged and shook his head. "I want to see how you react to her."

Keith nodded. "Where is she?"

"She'll be here soon enough," he walked passed Keith and pulled a box from under the cot, Keith started to wonder just how much was under that bed. Xan pulled two large needles, and two large spools of thread. "While we wait, we fix your damage to my tent."

"By sewing?"

"Sewing is a handy skill," Xan said.

Keith stared at the thread and the needle, but sucked it up he'd made the hole, the wind coming in through it had to be near 50 degrees below zero. He should be fixing it on his own. "I can do on my own."

Prince Xan shook his head. "I don't let my people do what I can't. That includes guests with strange weapons."


	27. Chapter 27

Question about last names: When I started writing this, I wasn't aware about the canon Last names, since I'm totally unaware of the Canon source the last names came from. I'd love to be more aware of it to be honest. So I ended up making up last names. I've done more poking around since and know the preferred canon last names now, but I'd already given them all different last names, so it was too late. Sorry for the confusion. Rachel. Hope everyone keeps enjoying. Onto Chapter 27:

~~~~27~~~~

As soon as the dessert plates were taken off the tables, Wade stood and requested that Lance go with him. Allura watched Lance leave the table, then the room, feeling more wary about the meeting with each step taken. Prince Seth slipped into Lance's empty spot beside, and poured her more wine, she watched the liquid slosh into her glass - he overfilled it - he then pushed it closer to her.

"When I didn't hear from you promptly, I thought for a brief moment you wouldn't grant me your presence. I'm am proud that you have come, to see my success. For I have won full reign of this Castle, finally." Seth drank down a huge gulp of the bottle he poured from to punctuate his sentence. Allura studied his face, his snake like eyes wondering how one could tell if a Xiosian was drunk.

"You're planet is beautiful, it's like a beautiful winter landscape. This Castle is - I can feel the history from the stones, it has the memory of years in it still. Only the tombs of my Castle carry such sense memory now," Allura said.

"Drink, Princess Allura," Seth said, picking up her drink and pushing it toward her mouth.

Allura grabbed the glass, only to save her dress from a possible mishap. "I am not thirsty."

Seth slammed a fist down on the table, many of the guests glanced over, their conversations stopping. A Xiosian in a servant's outfit suddenly was over Allura's shoulder facing her Prince. "Prince Seth, is there something I could bring you. Another bottle of Highberry Wine?"

"Be gone, bitch," Seth shouted, standing up and pushing her.

The girl fell to ground, with a thump and Allura flew to her feet and slapped Seth across the face before her mind finished the thought. Then she was bending down, helping the young girl up. "Are you okay?"

"You hit me?" Prince Seth barked.

Allura had the young woman on her feet now, she towered over Allura, but the Xiosian was meek before her Prince, she had bruises around her eyes, a split lip, she was nodding at Allura and trying to get away. "I'm fine, I'm fine, let me go."

Allura turned back to Seth. "What kind of King do you plan to make? This is how you treat your people?"

Seth laughed at her. "She's a servant, she's lucky she's not in jail. She was captured, a prisoner of war. She was fighting on Xan's side - I fight a Civil War here Princess Allura. She is lucky she is trusted as much as she is. Whose side do you support now, Girl?"

"Yours, Prince Seth. Always yours," the girl said like a mantra.

Allura felt nauseated.

"I do not let women hit me," Seth said stepping toward Allura.

Allura stood her ground. "I've long been protecting those who need it, it's a gut instinct, and it's one I won't apologize for."

His hand come up, Allura dug her heels in, she was wearing flats underneath her long skirts this time and she moved. Seth hit nothing but air and found himself falling face over feet onto his back onto the floor into the same place he'd pushed the servant girl.

Sky Marshall Wade's voice was clear from across the room. "What is going on here, what has happened?"

"Allura are you okay?" Lance's hands were on her shoulders within seconds. "What the hell, I wasn't gone ten minutes."

"I hit him, he felt he should hit me back. Sky Marshall Wade, why is the Alliance aligned with this..." Allura ended up sputtering out.

"Xios, you will admit is a strategically placed planet, Princess Allura. Between known space, and unknown quadrants. There are some things, I will be discussing with Commander Larkin," he looked at Lance, "About what our Alliance Soldiers who will be based here will be doing. Prince Seth has asked for our help has he has limited men and women, from decades of civil war."

Seth was on his feet, glaring at both Allura and Lance. "I want her and him..." he started to order but Wade's arm in front of his chest stopped him.

"Prince Seth, think before you speak. You have made a drunken fool of yourself in front of Princess Allura. Again. He's young, arrogant, Princess. You must forgive him."

I must not, Allura thought, fitting herself against Lance's body behind her, Lance's hold now on her hips tightened. "She said he was going to hit her, Sky Marshall?"

Wade turned and punched Seth in the face, knocking him out. "They have a rather archaic view of the sexes here, I admit. I'm trying to mentor him on some less barbaric behavior."

"Sky Marshall Wade?" Lance said. "Just how long have you known him?"

"Since he was a boy. My father as you know, wasn't an upstanding man, Lance. It's something I don't like to think about. Where the family money came from, but it has helped me to know broader scope of people. Prince Seth has things to offer the Galaxy Alliance, to make us stronger. We all know peace time never lasts forever. Lance, soon I'll be able to show what one of those things was, you are just the perfect man to show it too."

"Uh huh," Lance said.

Allura listened to all of this and her intuition was screaming, run, get off of Xios, grab Lance and get off the planet now. But she knew they couldn't do that, she looked at the girl who'd been hit at the floor. Her eyes wondered the dinning hall she was in and glanced at the other servants, the few guards. They either looked scared and scarred. Bored and like bullies. No, they had to find out about Prince Xan, and they had to hope he was a much better man than Seth.

Maybe, it they got lucky, they could find proof that Wade was no better than his father.

Allura blinked and suddenly realized Lance had sat her back down at the table, he was sitting in front her, holding her hands. "Are you back? You spaced out there for a bit?"

She nodded. "I, think just, I got this really deep desire to runaway. And we can't," she whispered. She looked around, "Where did Wade and Prince Seth go?"

"Wade had two of the guards, carry Seth to his room and went with," Lance sighed. "Wade took me out to a) inform me I can stay here the whole time, and bring you home but I'm to return to work ASAP and b) that he may have a job for me to do here. And also to interrogate me about how serious we are, which I took to be about him having a finger in Seth wanting to marry you."

Allura shuddered. "That thought is just wretched."

"Won't ever happen," Lance said, leaning in closer. "I'm sorry we can't make the run for it your instincts are screaming for. Mine don't want to stay near that Prince either. Wade - he's another story but we got to play this out, right? Your the one who said we had to be here."

Allura nodded, her heart beating, she still believed that. "Yes, yes we do."

A throat cleared. The servant girl Allura had helped was standing there.

"Hello," Allura said, smiling.

"Don't do things like that, don't help the servants. It will you hurt. Zora told me to take you to your room."

"Zora?"

"She's Prince Seth's old nanny, she runs the Castle's servants. She told me to tell you, don't get him more mad at you than he already his. He has a dart board of you Commander, and he has been told Princess Allura can give him power. He doesn't want to move to a second best marriage. He doesn't like not getting what he wants. Please, follow me."

Allura noticed Lance was looking around the dinning hall, as the servant girl spoke, as they stepped in behind her, walking out of the room and into the hallways. Candles illuminated the dark halls, but Allura noticed there was once electricity running through the stone walls, it'd been built to have electricity. "Why isn't the castle still run on electricity?"

"Whole reason for the civil war, wasn't it, Princess? Seth's Great-Great Grandfather started to hoard our power sources, started to sabotage the mines, all because his side of the royal family didn't have legacy to the throne. And he wanted the throne. Started the dirty dealings, started working with off people from off planet who didn't care about our people, and over the years, all the technology was lost, nothing is left. It's all old school, and borrowed technology from other worlds now. Can only use what we have left for stories and fires."

The girl stopped her story, Allura had a million questions but the girl opened a door to a room, bowed to her and Lance. "Zora will come with more blankets. Rooms get cold for people not of Xios," and then she was off down the hallway.

"That felt like half a story."

"Probably used to telling it to people with all the facts," Lance muttered.

Allura nodded and went over to the table that held the mirror. She sat down and started to pull pins out of her hair. "Have we heard from Keith, yet?"

Lance had taken off his bow tie, jacket and was now pulling his computer out of his bag. "I'm checking now, but no, still nothing from him since he said he was within range of the planet."

"I really hope he saw our messages before he sees any media," she sighed but she caught Lance's grimace in the reflection of the mirror. "What?"

"I don't think how he finds out is going to matter, he's still going to want to use me as a punching bag."

"You two are friends, best friends, brothers."

"Exactly," Lance said, frowning and he walked over to her, sat down on the bench next to her. "Look, I'm not going to take anything back. Don't regret it, will do it again if I was thrown back in time and given the same choices. But, I know how he feels about you, I, I told him to write you more last time I saw him for crying out loud. I was warning him, but I didn't tell him it was about me. He's my best friend and brother, stole his girl."

"Never was his girl," Allura said.

"Stole his girl," Lance said, "I broke a big rule, Allura."

Allura sighed. "You know I love him, I don't want him hurt, I..." she stopped, her mind full of too many feelings. She had slow down, she let her head fall onto Lance's chest and sighed. "I have to have a really long talk with that man," she mumbled into his tuxedo shirt.

"You will, we'll find him. He's here somewhere."

"And we are all supposed to be together at some point," she said.

"Check it," she said pulling back and grabbing her brush.

Lance nodded and went back to the computer, logged on, and pulled up the email. "Nothing from Keith," he said. "Uh, I've got four video messages from Nanny, however, and five from Coran. Huh, thought Nanny would sent more."

"Check mine."

Lance hit a few keys and then paused, "Allura, password?"

"Oh, um," she blushed. "In my defense, I've been using this password since I was sixteen. Handsome Prince. One word, all lowercase."

"Oh, that's good, that's awesome," Lance laughed.

"What's yours?" she turned from the mirror brandishing the brush. "Lance!"

"It's my parents anniversary, I changed it to that after they died in that damn car crash," he said not looking up from the computer. "Ah ha. You have TEN video messages from Nanny and five from Coran. He's consistent. Oh and we both have two each from Pidge and Hunk. I'm guessing the usual and then a WTH one."

Allura sat down next too him, realized she was still holding her brush and she sighed. "I'm sorry," she said and then rolled her eyes because that sounded lame, empty and not good enough. They'd been in the middle of daily attacks, from Doom when Lance's entire family had been in a four vehicle pile up back on Earth. His parents had died instantly, his sister had been in a coma for weeks - Farla, Allura thought now and felt more helpless.

Lance was opening his mouth, and she knew, she saw it in his eyes, he was about to ignore what she was really saying and make her apology about Nanny, or Coran, or something about Pidge and Hunk. She didn't know, she didn't want too, she put her fingers against his mouth. "About your parents, and you know that. I just wanted to say it, done now," she said, letting him off for now. Maybe someday he'd talk to her about the stuff he kept locked down behind all his sarcasm and bravado.

"Should we send another message to Keith?"

Lance shook his head. "No, he'd contact us, no matter how mad he is, he'd contact Pidge or Hunk anyway."

"Maybe he did?" Allura said.

Lance pulled up Pidge's two emails to Allura, since they were still in her account. It was a summary of his day, how he embarrassed himself in front of the guy he liked, how he still hadn't heard from Keith and had no new information for them. "He likes that guy? And when did he tell you?"

Allura smiled. "He just started talking to me one day about it, it was unsaid it was still a secret from the rest of you."

"Good to know, but that guy? He's an ass, not good enough," Lance glowered.

"Lance, stay out of it, you don't know, open the other one."

Lance shook his head. "This one is going to say. Lance isn't good enough for you."

Allura hit the button.

_Princess,_

_What the hell? I turn on the media channel to see your arrival on Xios and you're a couple with Lance. Like a real one? Then I get Coran in my room, two seconds later, interrogating me if I knew anything about this and what are Lance's intentions toward you are? And if I knew you were on birth control? _

_What is going on?_

_Keith's going to blow a gasket, and I still haven't heard anything._

_Pidge._

"Dr. Gorma told Coran!" Allura shouted. "Why am I exempt from patient/client confidentiality."

"You're a princess," Lance said wryly. "Hunk's message is just going to be the same thing," Lance said. "I'm sorry, Allura, but we're going to have to be patient about hearing from Keith."

Allura didn't like it, she wasn't sure if was guilt, or just a bad feeling about why Keith had been radio silent for so long. She just knew she didn't like it, she was about to try to explain her concern to Lance, when there was knock at there door, and it started to creak open slowly.


	28. Chapter 28

~~~~28~~~~

Automatically they both on their feet, ready for whatever came through the door. What did come through the door was a tower of blankets, and through blankets came a muted voice with a thick Xiosian accent. "I brought your extra blankets, Princess Allura, Commander Larkin."

Lance jumped forward, and grabbed more than half the blanket, revealing the shortest and oldest Xiosian they had seen in their short relations with the species. Her face was more oblong now, from the wrinkles, her eyes were still round though and sharp green. "Thank you, it's just Lance."

"In the bedroom, I would hope so," she said, quick cheekily.

Allura laughed both because it was funny and something about this woman was a bit unsettling. She was older and she had to be Zora, the one that all but given the orders via the servant girl before hand.

"I like her," Lance said putting the blankets he held on the foot of the bed, "I can take the rest of those; I don't think we'll need so many."

Zora eyed him up and down. "Maybe not, maybe the passion will be enough, but the winter winds are chilly and these stone walls have holes, those old windows aren't sealed at all. Winds picking up tonight, too," she said, handing him the remaining blankets before turning toward their fireplace, where there was no fire. "Bah, I told them to set your fire, never listen, the young ones. Yell at me like I'm deaf, then never listen to word I say," she muttered walking over to fireplace.

Allura glanced at Lance, blushing and asking silently, "Did she just check you out? And then imply maybe we're good enough in bed to stay warm?"

Lance nodded, grinning ear to ear. "Like I said, I like her," he mouthed back.

Allura rolled her eyes at him, her eyes turning back to the woman. "You are Zora?"

"Yes, and you are a strong-willed woman, they don't do well in this castle, not for a long time anyway. Keep to slapping this man, only..." Zora turned around holding a small box, she'd taken off the mantle. "Not that I think you do, of course," she smiled. "But Prince Seth is not a kind man, he was raised by worse if you'll believe it. Don't give him reasons to take out his rage on others. He will."

Allura wavered on her knees, she didn't know how Lance did it, but he was behind her making sure her butt hit the bed and not the floor. "I should've, I didn't think," Allura swallowed over the lump in her throat, trying to keep down the bitter bile that was threatening to raise up.

"Not your fault," Lance said. "He's an ass, he'd come up with a reason with or without your help, it's part of her point, isn't it, Zora" Allura could feel the glare Lance was giving the old woman and she wanted to admonish him but she was afraid to open her mouth.

"Don't weigh yourself down with too much guilt Princess Allura, though your empathy is a trait I've rarely witnessed in last decade. It was a pleasure to behold, as well as Lance's protective nature. Isn't often I see any gentlemanly behavior."

Lance stood up, walked towards her. "I can start the fire," he said.

"No, you can't," Zora said, "At least not until I show you how." She held out her hands, the small box she held flat on her palms. "Open it."

Allura watched, focusing on her breathing to calm down her heart, slowly getting rid of the image of Seth taking out his anger on the servant girl, slowly forgiving herself for brutish angry narrow-minded man's choices. Lance opened the small box, he looked inside. "Shiny," he said.

The inside of the box seemed to glow in Zora's hands.

"Pick up a few between your fingers."

Lance did and he hummed. "Warm," he said and glanced at Allura.

Allura stood up and walked towards them, looking into the box Zora held out to Lance. "What are they?"

"Falling Stones. Once the very essence of energy and life, throughout this whole planet. It lit up our homes and it gave us our technology. Now, now all that remains, lights fires in this castle."

Falling Stones. Allura gasped. Lance turned and looked at her. "Allura?"

"Father. Father said something about 'Falling Stones,' I thought he meant there would be literally falling walls, or something. Not...what do they do, Zora?"

"They look like gems, but really they are ore. This is their refined form, in their raw form they looked more like crystal rocks, but their warmth shines forth. For eons, the ruling family of Xiosians were of the line of men who held the raw ability to take the crystal rock of the falling stones from the inner caverns of the planet and start fire from the palm of their hand... Over years, the ability became more and more rare. Then started the rivalries, that lead to wars, that led to their being rifts in the royal lines. Then Seth's great-great father started sabotaging the mining process, the very ability to mine the stones, and hoarding the stones. Seth now doles out just enough for the fires in the rooms that need to be lit. I do not even know where his source is."

Allura and Lance exchanged glances, Lance asked her with his eyes if he dared to ask about Wade, Allura nodded, she trusted Zora; she didn't know why she just knew that she did. She reached into the box and picked up two of the small stones between her fingers, surprised at how warm they were to the touch.

"Sky Marshall Wade?" Lance started

"That scrawny boy? What about him?"

Lance and Allura exchanged looks, Wade was many things, scrawny was not one them.

"Oh forgive me, I know he is your commanding officer, Lance, but he used to come to this planet as a scrawny boy, walking in his father's shadow, nose in one of those computer things all you off-planet people bring and mine don't remember having. I can't seem to break the thought of him as a scrawny boy."

"So you do know him?"

"Know him? No. No one knows that scrawny boy, nor the man he grew into. Seth listens to him, wrong-headed idea, if anything goes wrong, Seth's holding the bag."

Lance and Allura exchanged looks again and sighed, getting anything on Wade would be hard but they had to try. Maybe helping the Xiosians would be easier, Allura decided to ask another question. "We've done some research on your planet. Prince Xan, the one out there fighting Prince Seth. Can he, can he make fire from the raw stones?"

Zora looked at them both, her green eyes slitting then going wide open again her mouth formed a lined and sincere smiled. "Yes."

"Good," Lance said, "Then all we have to accomplish is getting everyone who matters to see it happen, where it can't be taken back - without any of us blowing our covers," he looked at Zora at the end of his sentence. "I take it you can contact Prince Xan and Prince Seth has no idea?"

"None. Prince Seth, barely notices my presence. I am an old woman, I must be deaf and blind. But I am neither."

Lance grinned. "No, no your not. Can you tell him we're on his side?"

"I will."

"And can you find out if our friend is with him?" Allura asked.

"Who would that be?" Zora asked.

"His name is Keith," Lance said. "He's supposed to be here, he was going to try to make contact with Xan but that was the last we heard from him. We're worried."

Zora nodded. "If he is with Xan, what is the message?"

Allura struggled, her mind full of a million things, she tried to cull it all together. Tried to find a succinct sentence that would make sense of things, give Keith some kind of peace until they could talk.

"What we discussed, he should know it all, if he already doesn't. And that Allura loves him," Lance said. "Loves him, Zora, Loves him."

Allura turned at Lance, surprised. "Lance!"

"What?" Lance said, avoiding her eyes. "It's true."

"I..." she closed her mouth, then stuttered out, "It's more complicated than that, and you know it."

"Well, sometimes you have to take out the complicated and just discuss the non-complicated part, or what have we been doing?"

His eyes bore into hers and she nodded, he was right, it was what they were doing. They weren't thinking anything through, they weren't discussing, they'd both stopped feeling awkward and just let themselves feel but if they stepped back there was so much complications.

Why was she only thinking about the complications when it came to Keith?

Allura took a deep breath. "Tell Keith, especially if he knows about me and Lance. That I still feel the way I told him I felt the last time we spoke about feelings, and that while I now have feelings for Lance, nothing has changed about how I feel about him," her heart was pounding, she hated saying it with Lance right there, but he'd told her to. Yet it felt so wrong. "Please."

Zora sharp eyes looked between them. "Very well, now both of you let go of the other's hand, since you both hold stones with those hands, you will need them."

Allura looked down, her hand was linked with Lance's, locked-tight, like a lifeline and she had no idea when they'd done it and she found she didn't want to let go. Lance was slow to release his fingers from hers as well, but they did as Zora asked.

"Go to the fireplace."

They both went to fireplace standing before it, there was logs in it, ready to be burned. There were other rocks behind the logs, it resembled coal but was smaller, rougher.

"Throw the stones you hold, against the black rocks, it will ignite the Falling Stones, and the logs will flame."

In unison they did as instructed, flames shot out from the tiny stones as they hit the rocks and jumped to the logs. A fire bloomed before them in the grate and their hands locked together again.

Zora made a noise behind them. "I shall make sure your messages are delivered."

Allura stared at the fire, she heard the door creak and then click closed. Lance's palm felt hot against her own, she tightened her hold on his hand. She wanted to say something to him but she didn't know what. She wanted to take back what she'd just asked Zora to tell Keith, but she couldn't do that because what had been asked of Zora was a truth. Feelings didn't disappeared, she had so many questions for Keith and she if she honestly thought beyond the moment she had no idea what the depth of her feelings for Lance were - but it felt wrong for him to know so much, to be the one to make her admit it, to tell her to just say it out loud like she had right in front of him.

He was gripping onto her hand too, neither of them had moved from the fire, he was silent, too quiet, it'd been minutes now. Lance was never quiet for minutes, Allura turned to face him. "Lance," she started not having a clue what was going to follow.

He stopped her though, his eyes were dark, he shook his head slightly, his mouth opening as he did it and she stopped because he was soundlessly asking her to not to try to talk. His free hand, grabbed her waist and pulled her flush against him and he kissed her, hard, tongue thrusting in, deep, passionate.

And desperate.

Allura felt it too, this insane desperation that had her pushing herself against him, trying to get as close as possible to him, kissing him back just as hard, pushing her tongue against his, deepening the kiss even more, adding in her own passion. She cursed her long skirts and sighed into his mouth when he unzipped the back and they both pushed it to the ground so she could jump up, wrapping her legs around his hips. Kissing his neck, his jaw, his face, and then another long desperate scrambling kiss.

A few hours later Allura woke screaming.

"Hey, hey," Lance's arms were around her in a hug, "What the hell were you dreaming?"

Allura's heart pounded, she was shaking, it took her a few minutes to find her voice, Lance gently ran his hands up and down her arms. She slowly was able to take in the room they were in, the stone walls, the firelight, the fact they were on the floor, on a blanket as well as wrapped up in a blanket before the fireplace.

She remembered them kissing, scrambling desperate to touch and feel the other, to feel the heat and spark that were between them, of how it slowed down and became softer, slower and they made love in front of the fire but their was and underlying desperation still there in them both.

Like time was running out.

"Allura, talk me?"

"I don't remember," Allura said, her voice sounding so small, she shook her head. "I remember wanting to scream in the dream but I couldn't, all I remember is...nothing, no. No, that is wrong. I can't remember but it terrified me."

"Nothing to be scared of, Allura. Remember, you told me to have faith that things would work out here. Just you know do that," Lance said, after turning her face so he could look into her eyes. "Your Father told you something would happen here and you seemed pretty sure we'd land on our feet back on Arus."

Allura nodded, feeling safe and sure, looking right at him. Hearing his voice, sounding so sure, saying things like he believes in her father. "So, your admitting you believe in Father's riddles?"

Lance shrugged. "I never said I thought he was wrong. I just think he comes out, gives you a sight of him, says something cryptic and disappears. Ends up making you grieve him again for another 24 hours. Hate seeing that look in your eyes, and then the cryptic - well you've gotten pretty good at figuring it out lately."

"Or, he's less cryptic."

"No. It's you," Lance said, kissing her on her nose, then yawning. "Let's get some sleep, Allura."

Allura gripped onto Lance tightly and he followed her lead tightening his hold on her. "I don't want to have the nightmare again."

"Baby, I'm right here if you do."

Allura buried her face into his shoulder and breathed in his scent and within seconds fell back asleep.


	29. Chapter 29

~~~~29~~~~

Keith stood hands buried in his pockets for extra warmth, close to the fire pit that was in the center of a cluster of tents, of Prince Xan's current camp location. Kyla had arrived an hour ago with a report from the Castle, a day and half after Xan had requested it.

Keith had spent his time, with Alla and her friends, answering innocent questions from those who idolized him, idolized his teammates, all the while with Xan watching him with shrewd green eyes that slit in that odd snakelike way that was very disconcerting to know it was aimed at you.

Keith took it, he was the stranger here, plus he didn't have much to say. He could play folk hero, it was harder than unusual though, usually he loved seeing innocent enthusiasm, naive believe in something greater than yourself like heros, he liked being that Hero. He worked hard to be a person who helped others, who brought about a sense of hope and freedom to the universe that had been unfairly taken away from so many. Xios was a smaller scale but for them it had been going for so long, that Alla and her friends, they knew no other life. Yet they believed in someone like him could give them the dream, the fantasy, the hope they'd always had.

Only Alla reminded him of Allura.

Sure she was younger than Allura but she was sweet, she was fair-minded, she made sure all her friends, and all the little kids who didn't really know who he was, but wanted to meet this strange man who was there to help, got to ask questions. She kept asking him about his leg, his head, if he was sure he was warm enough. How quickly she'd picked up that he got colder faster than her and her people did. Most of all she saw that he was sad about something and she thought it was about missing his friends. About how hard it probably was to know Princess Allura and Commander Lance Larkin were both on Xios but he couldn't just go to them.

Go to them.

He wanted to hurt Lance. He wanted to harm his best friend. Keith hands clenched into fists and he felt hurt, betrayed - another way to be betrayed. Best friend, brother, the first person Keith had ever trusted fully. Lance knew all his secrets but most important Keith had entrusted Lance with Allura. For this to be what happens, he not only stole her but he violated her, has her break rules and traditions that matter to Arus. Her people are Allura's planet to her, they are Arus and they are part of her, therefore the traditions of the Royal Crown are important to Allura.

Those traditions, her loyalty to them, her heart and soul, her innate goodness and need to do right by them. It was all a part of why Keith stopped himself from ever stepping too close. Taking things that one step in a direction that wasn't fitting for who she was and who she would be as she grew into her title, grew to become the woman and Queen she'd be.

Only she was flouting them, she was flouting the traditions her people had upheld for centuries, openly and boldly, her body touching Lance's, Lance's arms around her waist and holding her arm. There had been no space between them, they had a room - It kept making Keith see red, he couldn't stop it from coming to mind, anger boiling up fresh.

Had it been Allura's idea, was this from her own mind or had Lance pressured her, seduced her with his damn charm had Keith had seen melt the armor of the feistiest of women in the past. Why had Allura allowed this, was this all because she loved Lance? Or, was it something else? She must know she was risking the respect of her people by flouting such a deep-seated mindset of the Arusian people about the traditions of their Crowned Royalty.

He wouldn't give a damn about who lost respect for her if he was the man in her bed, he'd stand by her, and he'd be proud of her for going after her own happiness. For telling Coran and Nanny that she loved him and wouldn't marry a stranger. They'd been fantasies he'd barely let himself acknowledge he daydreamed over the years.

The last year, nearly going on two now, he'd at least known she loved him. He knew he'd left things unspoken, that she hadn't been unhappy with him and he'd probably upset her by leaving the way he did. But Allura was loyal, fiercely loyal, and she had said, 'I love you, Keith.'

Only he'd never said it back and he'd never planned to. Had he expected her to wait forever? But Lance?

Keith sighed, and wished they get on with the report, it was here now but no they were waiting some more. Centuries of civil war what were a few more minutes, to them, Keith, thought?

Kyla stood beside him, waiting for Prince Xan to arrive back after dropping Alla home - the real reason they were waiting, the Prince was walking the little girl home, Keith hated he found it noble, but only because he was in a bad mood. Kyla usually stayed silent when not directly spoken too, so when she spoke, she startled Keith.

"There is a message for you that, that I believe should be delivered privately, so since Alla's mother usually keeps Xan a bit in the kitchens, should I give it to you now?"

Keith didn't want to hear it. It was probably something from the two of them about being sorry this happened. How they hadn't meant it to happen, please forgive them. And knowing Lance the go ahead to hit him. "I don't want to hear their apologies. It is just meaningless words."

"There are no apologies," Kyla said.

"What?" Keith turned to look her in her eyes, he stared, shocked, hurt, appalled by them for not apologizing, even if he didn't want to hear them. "He fucking stole my girl, he's...he's... With her! And no apologies? When I see him he's going to be lucky if I don't slice him in half."

Kyla stayed stoic in the face of his outburst. "Princess Allura said," Kyla pulled some paper out of her pockets. "No one wanted to get this wrong, Zora has an exact memory so she wrote it down to the best of her recollection: Princess Allura wants you to know that she still feels the same about you that she felt last time you two spoke about your feelings. Her feelings for Lance haven't changed anything. Zora notes here that they both, Lance and Allura, were adamant that you know this."

Keith stared at Kyla, not really seeing her. "What?"

"Princess Allura wants you to know that..." Kyla started to reread the notes she was reading, but Keith stopped her by just grabbing them himself. He stared at the words on the page, at the note about how Lance to was a part of this message, and Keith felt like he needed to be sitting but there was no where to be sitting.

Allura still loved him. Lance knew Allura still loved him. Lance was with Allura knowing this, Lance? Who could be insecure when it came to comparing himself to Keith on how they ate toast if he was in a bad enough mood. Keith felt titled upset down. He looked back at the part that said Allura was still in love with him. "She's still in love with me?"

"That is what she said. Zora thinks she's full of crap," Kyla said.

Keith looked up and glared. "What?" he asked, Kyla gave him nothing from her gaze, and he wondered if she had any clue that she had taken his one thread of hope and then stomped on it. "Who is Zora?"

"She is Prince Xan's Grandmother. She's been our main castle spy for years, no one knows she's related to Prince Xan, she was Seth's Nanny, taken from her family to do so, the people who knew of her marriage, her family, they all died in the war soon after. As she grew older, she became head of castle staff, she can go and come into any room, Seth never notices her, he sees her as old, blind, deaf: stupid. She is the opposite of all those things, except maybe old, but maybe that depends on your definitions of such things."

"And she thinks Princess Allura is full of crap?" Keith said.

"Turn the paper over," Kyla said.

Keith looked down at the paper, his eyes falling on the words that told him Allura was still in love with him but somehow - his inner masochist he'd bet - he turned the paper and saw in neat, decisive handwriting:

_ Princess Allura seems to believe her words, Lance looked like he was braced for them but the words punched him none the less, but he was fighting not to show it to her. Just like you could see she was struggling with saying everything in front of him. They both sought out the others hand, from the second he made her see what she had to say; through the entire time they said it. Hands only parted to start the fire, they had falling stones in those hands, but they were together again swiftly, fingers interlaced, staring at the fire. I was a nonentity by then. Their friend is in for heartbreak, so keep an eye on him, that leads to wrongheaded decisions sometimes, don't let his pain cause idiocy._

Keith looked up from the note and stared at Kyla. He didn't know Zora, he would disregard her opinion. He would try to purge the imaged he hadn't needed of Lance and Allura worried about the other and handholding in front of a fire. What he was going to do was hold on to the hope that Allura loved him, still loved him, when he saw her, when they talked - just maybe everything could be sorted out and be okay.

That left only one question and it was for Kyla. "Why did you have me read this it is meant for Xan?"

"You used that thing," Kyla pointed to his voltcom. "You made a hole in Prince Xan's home that you then badly sewed up. You are wrongheaded, you yell and are so incensed you can't finish sentences, you are consumed by the fact Princess Allura is having sex with this other man, this Lance. You are already a liability to my Prince. My people. The ones I am here to protect and serve. I showed it you to remind you, that you are supposed to be a man of honor, a man who puts others before yourself. This is a war, we need your help in our war. We don't need you thinking about a girl."

Keith slammed the notes from Zora into her armor and held her gaze. "I am here to help you, nothing will distract me from any plan that is made in that regard, I promise you. I will protect Prince Xan with my life, and all of your people. You included."

Kyla took the papers, eyed him up and down, eyes slitting before she went back to her usual stoic, calm demeanor. "I hope to believed you, I ask that you be careful of the distraction of your heart, that is all."

"Kyla, you are playing nice with Keith, aren't you?" Xan asked as he made his way up where the two of them where standing outside.

"I'm letting him know where I stand, that is all Prince Xan. I have Zora's report, and reports from a few others, who saw a few things."

"Well?"

"When she told them how to start their fire, Princess Allura had a strong reaction to the Falling Stones. She says," Keith saw for the first time what happened when a Xiosian rolled their eyes, it wasn't pretty. "her father appears to her as a ghost, and he mentioned the stones to her. She thought it would mean they'd take fire at some point. But he literally said 'Falling Stones' to her. It turns out that she and Lance are here because with her Father's appearance and Keith deciding to come here, then Prince Seth's invitation, Princess Allura felt it meant she and Lance needed to be here. Though Zora is sure they did not share the full statement of the ghost."

Keith felt Xan's slitted eyes on him before he looked from Kyla, who had returned to her stoic expression after the creepy eye roll, though Keith was noticing he could sense a bit of derision in her tone every time she said ghost. "Keith, Princess Allura, she see the apparition of her father often?"

Keith sensed that Xan found this to be rather a ridiculous idea as well. "We all have," Keith said. "King Alfor's spirit had been seen by the Voltron Force since the day we arrived on Arus. He's given us information on the Lions and at times has given us guidance and clues when in times of crisis. If he appeared to Allura and mentioned your planets stones, then it happened. She deciphers his meanings better than anyone, she's very intuitive."

"Zora believed her," Kyla said, handing Xan the notes Keith had held earlier, plus more. "She wrote a lot, she had a lot to say about them both. Talking about her gut and stuff, I didn't read all of that. However since it's Zora I do give it more credence. "She said, Princess Allura is a woman of integrity, she is bold and she feels deeply and Zore believes she can be trusted and has already trusted her. She told her that you can light the raw stones, already."

"What?"

Kyla nodded.

"Why would she do that?"

"She trusts them."

Keith looked back and forth between them. "Light the raw stones?"

"It proves I'm the rightful Prince of Xios, that I should be in the Castle having a pretentious party and being ready to be King," Xan said, looking in the direction that Keith assumed was where the Castle was located.

"Raw form?"

"They looked like crystal rocks."

"Yes, Lance recommended that before people that matter, that you light one up, get it seen. He seems to think that Wade would even have to back away from Prince Seth if that was to happen."

Keith swallowed down the bile that rose up when he thought about Lance, he couldn't really let himself feel everything he felt about him right now, it was too much and mostly he just wanted to kill him for touching Allura. "He's right. In that Castle right now, there are important people from the Alliance. Then of course there is Allura. You light up a stone, people are told what it means - I liked to be told what it means it fully, when you get a chance - Wade won't be able to not act on it, the Alliance Military will have to take action. I'd like to connect him to Seth, but no matter what we could get you noticed, get the Alliance to ask questions about this civil war instead of just accepting that Prince Seth is in the right."

Xan looked him right in the eye. "It's a great idea. One problem. We have no raw stones. There are none. At least none that we can find, know of, or can get too. Prince Seth probably has some in the Castle, his family is who hoarded all the Stones, ruined the industry of mining them. There is no way to get that deep into the planets caverns to find the raw stones any longer, because there isn't the technology."

"In the Castle? You really think he has what you need?" Keith asked, things occurring to him in lightning speed, wondering if they could pull it off. He glanced at Kyla, she was head of his military. They had spies in that castle, they could pull it off.

"Yes, I do. I'm sure he has a stockpile somewhere in that castle, that only he and that guy Wade from your Alliance have seen."

"Then we do something that makes Prince Seth and Wade, have to do what we want," Keith said.

"What?" Xan and Kyla asked in unison.

"You kidnap Princess Allura."


	30. Chapter 30

~~~~30~~~~

Keith waited for their reactions, Kyla remained a statue to his side, Xan held his gaze with his eyes for so long that Keith had to break it by blinking first.

"Would she be in on it?"

"No," he said. "Lance can't know about it, no way to let her know without him knowing, either he'll be there, or she'll tell him. He has to keep his cover with Wade," Keith explained, ignoring the unsettled feeling in his stomach that told him he was lying. He didn't want Lance in on it, because he wanted more time alone with Allura. He liked this plan because it gave him time alone with her, time to talk.

Time for them to be Keith and Allura. It wasn't about Xan, or Xios, it would just help these people.

"Kyla?" Xan was asking.

"It would take time to set up."

"In that time," Keith said, not forgetting his other pressing issue, the main reason he was on Xios. "I would like know what your people have on Wade? Do you have files? Could I see them? Is someone watching him now?"

Xan motioned for Kyla to answer.

"We have files, yes. Yes, eyes are always on him when he is here. However, he is sure to always make sure that Prince Seth would be the one fall on his ass in the case failure."

Keith moved to meet her eyes again. "There has to be something, I want those files."

"You may have them. But know we have eyes there, we watch and we still don't know where Prince Seth hordes the stones. We don't know, we can't figure it out, and Wade. He comes as a savior now, Alliance soldier and Ambassdor of Peace. We have more on his father than we do on him."

"His father, that, I want those files, I need those," Keith said, his mind whirring thinking. "I need to be in on all the plans for the kidnapping. I will be the one to grab Allura."

"Distractions," Kyla said to him.

Xan looked between the two of them. "Give him all the files, the whole files, Kyla. Also, he and I will co-plan the kidnapping with you. Understood."

"Yes, sir. I'll get on the files."

Keith stood where he was and gave Xan a nod, trying to keep his teeth was chattering, he was starting to get a bit too cold. Xan shook his head. "Let's go back to the tent, I need to read what Zora had to say. She writes too much but it gives me insights that I never would gain otherwise."

"She's been in that Castle for how long?"

"I've never met her, yet she's my grandmother, that might give you some idea. Kyla's never met either. Yet we respect her. We were told too, she's never let anyone on this side of the fence down. Only spy to last so long. Prince Seth doesn't notice her, maybe it's because she changed his diapers, or maybe it's because she keeps her head down. Or, she's just the right person, in the right place to be the right pair of eyes. Who knows."

"Sometimes things happen just as they should in ways that can't be explained. We lost a man to injury when we first got to Arus, we all thought Voltron was only back for one time only after that but Princess Allura rose up to the challenge and didn't back down."

"Always the untraditional type then?" Xan asked.

"No. She's very traditional," Keith said without thought. "Or, she was," he muttered as they walked into the tent, where warmth could be found but was negligible in its difference from the outside.

Xan grabbed some matches and lit the small wood heater he had in the tent, grabbed a jacket from off the top of his own cot and tossed it at Keith. "Put that one, a cold front is moving in tonight."

Keith pulled on the coat. "Um, are you saying this has been a warm front?"

Xan shrugged. "It's been warmer than usual. Sit near the heater. Are you sure you want to bring your Princess here?"

"Can't your grandmother arrange to make sure her warmer clothes are here?"

"Probably," Xan said, "We'll work it into the plan."

Keith sat down on one of the stools, his mind going back to Allura and Lance, in the quiet. "She's not my princess."

"What I'm getting from this note from Zora, though she said she loves you,"

Keith held his head. "It's complicated."

"Women are."

"Lance isn't. He's always thought a bit too much with his... But I can't believe..." Keith stood up and started pacing, and it wasn't to keep warm. He get to mad, his fists would clench, he'd feel his mind reaching to the voltcom to form the sword before he'd catch himself. If he didn't catch himself, Keith knew he would shred Xan and his people's camp to shreds.

"How close were the two of you, teammates for a long time on Arus, I take it."

"Before Arus," Keith kept pacing, fist clenched.

"So were you and Princess Allura, together before Voltron got decommissioned and you left?"

"No."

Xan turned a page of the notes Zora had sent him. "Huh," he said.

Keith turned.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing, just Zora said that from what she saw of Lance's interaction with Wade prior to meeting Lance, she felt that Lance was barely stopping himself from harming him physically, there was something highly emotional going on under the surface. Some sort of open wound. She's claims it's an intuition. I always go 'Huh' on those. Then they turn out right. Any guesses."

"He hates Wade, but he did seem more angry with him. I probably have emails with a reason why in my ship."

"I can have men go get your computer, you know?"

Keith looked at Xan, rolled his eyes. "Right, sure, good idea, uh I have no idea how to tell you where it is without a computer, it's in the woods."

"The guys who found you can probably figure it out."

Keith nodded, but continued pacing.

"So you and her weren't together, but she told you she loved you?"

"Once, yeah. She kind of yelled it at me to be honest," Keith said, as he paced.

Xan flipped another piece of paper. "She's quite feisty, slapped Seth twenty minutes after arriving, then flipped him on his ass. I think I like her."

Keith turned and glared at Xan.

Xan looked up from the paper and held Keith's stare.

"Lance is rumored to have also flipped Seth. Like him too," Xan said.

Keith turned away and started pacing.

"Did you tell her you loved her back?"

"No."

"No?" Xan said. "Huh?"

Keith turned, Xan was still looking at him.

"I didn't know what to tell her, we were due to go to the celebration that the lions went berserk at, Coran her Advisor interrupted us to get us moving. Then we had other things on our minds. I was going to say goodbye to her, before I took off but Lance was in her room, which I wasn't expecting. He was saying goodbye, I couldn't let him leave before I did, so I took off."

"There are letters, you know?"

Keith stopped short. "He said that, last time he saw me. Not that long ago either. Write to her, Keith, she misses you Keith, let her know what ups with you Keith. Started thinking he was warning me she was slipping away, didn't know he was warning me about himself."

"I meant back when you first left, like a year or so ago?" Xan said.

Keith glared at him. "Do you want me to kill you?"

Xan laughed. "I'm just trying to figure you out, Keith. You want to save us, you're great with the kids, even if you keep daydreaming and getting this wistful sad face when alone with Alla. Who I'm guessing is reminding you of Allura. So all I'm saying is why exactly weren't you with her?"

"Because, she was the Princess."

Xan shook his head. "Sounds dumb to me."

Keith shook his head. "Arus is a very traditional planet, they take their traditions very seriously. Allura piloting the Blue lion, taking part in battle to safe them, safe Arus was one thing, but to break more of the Royal Traditions while Arus is still building itself back up from years of destruction. It wouldn't be right, my oath was to Arus as much as to Allura. Allura is all about her people. Being a pilot, a soldier, I had no right to touch the Princess, no matter my feelings. I was looking for a way to not lie to her, but to tell her that it was best if we never acted on it for - forever it felt like when she cornered me and started to push me to talk to her about us. Then, well, here I am."

Xan frowned. "Don't get it, Keith, gotta say."

Keith sighed. "Not feeling it so much right now either," he resumed his pacing realizing he stopped.

"And Lance, he knew about you two?"

"Considering Allura was telling magazines back then he was her best friend, he probably knew more about how she felt then I did. And yeah he knew how I felt. Not that I told him, think he knew why I was staying quiet too. And he didn't agree, but Lance never was once for pomp and circumstance, decorum or tradition just for the sake of it."

"Good match for a bold woman," Xan said, then he sat up a bit on his bed, where he'd been reading the whole time. "Uh, that kind of just came out of my mouth, Keith."

Keith laughed, it was bitter but what else was there to do. "Rather you tell the truth than lie, nothing noble about that, doesn't suit a King."

"Not one yet, not even a rightful Prince, until I prove it. Just like Seth, even though he's got the throne. I hate they call me it."

"How do they know you can light a stone?"

"My father found one, I had just turned six and they were all discussing what to do with it. Wondering if everyone in the camps of age should try it, men and women, though a women lighting one had never been heard of it's not out of the realm of possibility. While they were talking, I grabbed it, it lit up and I screamed, because it hurts. It literally lights on fire in your hand. Man, it was a commotion in that tent. And that was the end to the stone. We didn't know that the minute it lights it burns out. It was the only one we had."

Keith nodded.

"Can you forgive him?" Xan asked.

Keith sat down on the stool and buried his hands in his hair. "No. I don't think I can."

~~~~.~~~~

Lance and Allura were eating dinner with Senator Heather Barnburnt from Washington, DC, Queen Flavia, her granddaughter, and Ambassador Elect Derex of Ebb and Princess Lia. They were having a lively conversation, which was approached by not discussing at all their host, Prince Seth. They discussed the planet, and though it was quite cold the views from the Castle held breathtaking views. There had been however a sad underlying to that conversation due to the fact that Prince Seth didn't share his wealth with his people unless they prostrated themselves across his path and kissed his feet.

Lance had then asked Derex how the people of Ebb were doing, and between him and Princess Lia brightening up and telling countless tales of the enthusiasm and brilliance their people were still showing as they rebuilt their planet from all wreckage that Doom had brought, the table was having a lot of good laughs and smiles.

That was when Sky Marshall Wade walked up, he smiled at them, listened a bit and interrupted after Princess Lia finished another story about an adventurous little girl she knew who was always getting her friends into trouble. "Sorry, to interrupt, but I'd like a word with Commander Larkin, if you will come with me?"

Lance had known this was going to happen sooner or later, he'd hoped maybe he and Allura would make through the whole day before it happened. Just one full day, before Wade put him back on duty, but it didn't look it was going to happen. Lance squeezed her hand, which he'd been holding under the table, they met eyes. He was a bit surprised to see fright in them, so he leaned in and whispered into her ear. "What is it?"

Her hand tightened on his, instead of loosening to let go and she whispered back, "All my instincts are screaming don't let you go."

Lance turned back to Wade. "Sky Marshall, could you give me and Allura fifteen minutes?"

"Five."

"Ten," Lance bartered, as if he had the right. But he'd always been insubordinate with Wade, from day one. He hadn't been able to to help himself and yet somehow it'd landed him in on the favorite list. Whatever it was, whatever it meant, Lance was pretty sure it meant Wade thought he could use Lance, which meant the door was open to use Wade too.

Senator Barnburnt gasped as Lance openly argued with his superior officer, Queen Flavia however and her granddaughter, Princess Bronwen both giggled, which made Lance have to bite the inside of his cheek not to laugh too.

Wade gave him the usual steely stare, gray eyes revealing nothing, his mustache twitch and then he nodded. "Ten. No longer. I'll wait here. Senator Barnburnt, how have you been finding Prince Seth's hospitality?"

Lance and Allura walked out of earshot of everyone in the dinning hall, which meant they in a corner, near a window, where it was snowing, high winds whirring it around like snowy tornadoes. Allura looked out at it, shivered, and Lance wrapped his arms around her from behind. "What is it?" he asked for the second time.

"I don't know, exactly, but when he said he wanted you to go with him, fear rushed through me. It felt paralyzing."

Lance tightened his hold on her, Allura leaned into it his hold. After a few minutes Lance took a deep breath, breathing in the scent of her hair and committing the weight of her against him to memory. "I have to go."

"I know," Allura said.

Lance smiled at her, looking right at her through their reflection on the window. "Baby, I'll be fine."

Allura grinned back, Lance squeezed her, breathed the moment in one more time and then made himself let again. Holding her hand he started to lead them to back to where Wade was waiting.

"Lance, I..." Allura said.

Lance stopped and looked at her. "Yeah,"

Allure blushed, shook her head, "I'm sorry I'm being so weird lately, I think this castle just gives me the creeps."

Lance looked around the room they were in. "I can't blame you," he said, then they wen to the table. He kissed her goodbye, gave the table his regards and walked off with Wade.

Wade didn't say a word to him the entire time they walked. They went up five flights of stairs, Lance was beginning think they were going to Prince Seth's private quarters or something. Then the reached a door, with a key code on it. None of the other doors in the Castle had a key code on it. A servant walked by with a mop and bucket and looked at them.

Wade waited before she disappeared around the corner before typing in the code number. "Don't ever open the door in front of one of them, Xan's spies would kill to get in here."

"Yes, sir," Lance said.

What they walked into was an elevator, which Wade had to type another key code into to activate and then they shot down, way down, Lance noticed. So they'd just gone up to down. Seemed convoluted to him, but he wasn't the one keeping secrets, waging war, and oppressing people.

When the doors opened, they were in a start of an art room, computer systems up and running, lights, with a ship being built in the center of it. Lance looked at the systems, at the light sources, it was all run on the stones, it wasn't electricity as he knew it. Seth was keeping a better way of life even from those that were loyal to him?

"Take a look at her, Lance," Wade said, pointing at the ship in the center of the room. "It's a prototype, and you are going to be the first to fly her, the day before Prince Seth is crowned King."

Lance looked at the ship and his gut recoiled. Something about it was wrong, he walked closer, looking it, watching what the people working on it were doing. It was beautiful, it looked like it should fly well, be fast, be maneuverable, but he wasn't liking it. He looked at the engine since it was open, something was shining, he looked closer. It was the Falling Stones, they'd been somehow grafted to the wiring, integrated with the engine. Probably the whole computer system of the ship itself.

That was major unknown factor.


	31. Chapter 31

~~~~31~~~~

Lance stared into the engine of the ship, Wade wanted him to fly, Prince Seth walked up to him and looked into the engine too and whistled. "It's good engine isn't it, what guys like you call a real beauty?"

Lance rolled his shoulders to cover for the fact he felt physically repulsed by Prince Seth. He stepped back and looked at Prince Seth. "I'm still working on understanding the technology used to put stones into the whole electrical system of the ship, even connecting it to the engine's core."

"Oh, that's Wade's department. He's quite the science geek," Seth laughed. "I just think it looks beautiful, look at that shine. You must be looking forward to flying her."

"This whole section of the Castle, it has full electricity, state of the art computer systems based on the technology that your people feel has been lost to them for over hundreds of years?"

Seth laughed again and slapped Lance on the shoulder. "Yep, it's amazing isn't. My great-grandfather's creation, he found the old schematics and decided since we had the stones and the abilities, why should we go without some creature comforts. We didn't always have the castle but we always had the ability to have computers and the comforts of electricity. It's grand."

"Yeah grand. Any plans to share it with your people?"

"Once they realize I am their King, that it is only me they will be looking toward for their protection and comfort. And it all starts with the Xios X Fighter." Prince Seth patted the ship.

Lance looked back at the engine, it bothered him, he wasn't quite sure how the stones had been worked into the wiring, how their energy was going to react to fuel and propulsion. To a million other factors of atmospheric flight, let alone spaceflight. "Never seen one like her, that is for sure," he said of the ship.

"I'll leave you to it, I have things to talk to Wade about."

Lance watched Prince Seth walk back over to Wade, Wade was at a computer, typing away into it. Lance frowned, he'd love to know what that was about too, maybe it was something he could use to link Wade to the stones, to keeping a livelyhood from a planet, to being as much a mastermind behind it as was Seth.

One of the engineers that had been working on the ship, came up to Lance, with the blueprints - finally. Lance looked at the very human soldier in his Alliance uniform and inwardly sighed. "Lieutenant, you worked on this from day one?"

"Oh, no sir, I came once the wiring was done. Sky Marshall Wade said a specialist did the wiring for him, none of us had anything to do with that. But we were here for connecting it to the engine, the computers, everything has gone smoothly. All tests show she's running above expectations, I think that is why Wade is moving the test flight up. Especially with you here, I was going to fly it next week otherwise."

Lance nodded, judging the kid to be no older than Pidge, without the sense, or the experience. Suddenly Lance had his one good thing in this mess, he was flying it, not the kid, because something was going to go wrong. Lance was sure of it. He glanced at the blueprints but all they gave him was a normal ship, nothing in the lines held any secrets to the difference the unknow Xiosian stones energy output could create. None of the computer models, Lance had seen run were run on any different levels but the sound of the engine was bigger, the vibrations created by the engine was huge. It wasn't going to run normal in the air, it wouldn't match the computers in the air.

"Wade," he said, turning around, dropping the blueprint behind him on the ship.

Wade looked up from what he was doing on the computer. "Yes?"

"I don't think it's a good idea for that ship to go up into the air."

Prince Seth went into an instant rage. "What do you mean? Not a good idea? I need that ship tested, so I get more made. I need to be able to shoot all my enemies on this planet into dust!"

Lance felt instantly ill, in fact he felt that if he did throw up, he'd aim for Prince Seth's face. Instead he focused on Wade and leveled his gaze at him. "This is someone you're championing as someone the Alliance should take seriously, should trust? And that ship has an unknown untested energy source..."

"The stones have been tested plenty Lance, by Xiosians for years, we have the intelligence written over the centuries. Prince Seth's family was wrong to horde it all, I am working on getting him to start to bring life as it was once on this planet back to all the people. I ensure you, Lance. I've read up on the stones, I've done plenty of tests. The ship is test ready, and you will fly it the night after tomorrow."

"I don't think it's safe, sir."

"I are going to disobey the order, Commander Larkin," Wade asked, glaring at him.

"No, sir. I'll fly it. But I'm going on record as a pilot in saying I don't think it's safe to fly."

"Based on what," Seth snapped. "It's been testing fine."

"Based on my instincts."

Wade snickered. "This is another reason that we never should have left you and the other men on Arus alone for so long. You all became lax, too relaxed in your habits and started to put more trust into instincts than into cold hard facts. Do your duty, and remember starting tomorrow you are on duty, here, no more frolicking around with your girlfriend. The Princess will have to entertain herself."

Lance nodded.

Wade seemed to relax at his silent nod. "Good, you are the best pilot I know, Lance. It will be a good experience, and a great show for everyone who is here for the coronation of Prince Seth. It will be a good day for the Alliance."

And you, Lance thought quietly. Wade handed him a closed envelope. "Burn the key codes once you have them memorized, we don't need anyone unauthorized running around down here. Report first thing after breakfast."

"Yes, sir."

"I'll walk out with you, I want to see my guests one more time before they all go to bed to rest. We'll be just in time for the dessert I think," Prince Seth, falling in place.

Lance rolled his eyes but stepping onto the elevator with him.

"What do you think Princess Allura will do without you?" Seth asked. "I guess, I should pay her some more attention, now that you'll be busy down here. She's had time to cool off, see the error of her ways for her actions the first night she was here."

Lance activated his camouflaged voltcom, heated shields formed over his hands, they added both protection and strength to his punches. Before Seth could even see them however Lance had pinned against the wall. It was a long elevator ride, he had time. Holding Seth's hands over his hand with one hand, he punched him in the stomach with the other, then used his extra strength to pin his hip to the wall, while he put all his weight on Seth's other leg. "Get this straight, Prince Seth, she wants nothing to do with you. She'll say so, and if you don't listen, if you try something again, she will HURT you. But it won't stop there. Because if you disrespect her, ONE MORE TIME. I don't care who you are, I don't care about my career, I don't give a damn about anything but her in fact. So, I will find you and I will beat you so bad no one will recognize your face when I'm done. Understood?"

Lance stared into Seth's creepy Xiosian eyes until the elevator stopped. Seth finally nodded. Lance let go and put his voltcom back on invisible.

"You're strong for a human."

"I'm average," Lance said.

Prince Seth rubbed his wrists, and his hip, limping a bit as they walked out of the elevator and through the door, then out into the hallway. "You wouldn't get in trouble for attacking me, Sky Marshall Wade has asked I stay away from her as well. I will, I will woo another Princess... I appreciate your aggression in protecting what belongs to you. Princess Allura is yours. If you'll now excuse me," Prince Seth turned around and walked as fast as he could down a corridor that's destination was unknown to Lance.

Lance felt a bit sick that Prince Seth felt they had just spoken the same language but if it had worked to keep him away from Allura, it was totally worth it. Shaking his head, he started the long-ass walk back, deciding to stop by his and Allura's room to drop off the codes, there. Maybe check his computer again to see if that Felix kid had an update on Farla at all, and if Pidge and Hunk maybe had heard from Keith. He didn't expect he would hear from Keith at all, not if he was on Xios and he heard about them. He wondered when they'd hear back from Zora about things? He hoped Keith was with Xan, he hoped whatever way Keith was planning to kill him was fast, Lance ran his hands through his hair. Then he pulled the file he was carrying out of his back pocket and opened it.

There was a reminder not to let anyone see the codes, not to even type the codes in when any one else was near the first door. Empty hallway only. Burn the paper when done. Then there was a scribbled note from Wade that said: I didn't have time to give you your own code, these are the backdoor main access codes, be sure to burn them pronto, Lance.

Lance slowed his walking as he read that, his eyes widening a bit and he smirked. Backdoor main access codes, those fell into the right wrong hands... It'd be good, it'd be really good. It'd be great. He closed the file and started down the hallway that held his and Allura's room, he pasted the young servant that Allura had defended her first time. "Hey, excuse me, where is Zora?"

"Zora is in her room. This is her hour off," the young girl said and kept walking.

Lance spun around and caught up with her. "Point me in that direction."

The girl looked at him, with what he supposed was the Xiosian are your insane look, he'd gotten it enough his entire life he was pretty sure. "Quick, before someone else sees us," he added.

She nodded. "You have to go through the kitchen, then there are backstairs, the wooden ones, not the stone ones, Zora's room is at the top, the very top, no other rooms there."

Heading toward the dinning hall, he walked in and sought out Allura, she was the best excuse to get into the kitchen he could think of, and she could keep people busy so he could sneak away to go up to Zora's room. Plus he wanted to see her. He caught her eye the same second she caught his, and she stood up immediately and started walking over to him, he met her halfway.

"How much do you like your dessert?"

"It's quite yummy," Allura said. "Why?" sensing that he was going somewhere.

"Ask to see who baked it," Lance said. "Zora's room through the kitchen, I need to get up there."

Allura's eyes widened. "Why?"

"I'll tell you later," he said.

"Okay," she looked around and grabbed the first servant she saw. "Excuse me, who made my dessert, could I meet them?" she asked with her biggest smile.

"Of course, Princess Allura, follow me."

"Lance it was this tart, it tasted kind of like Earth figs with Arusian Waterfruit," Allura explained as they followed the servant into the kitchen.

They were introduced to the cook in charge of the dessert, Allura started to ask questions, Lance dipped his finger into a bowl and got his hand hit by a spoon by the cook. Something that never failed to happen in the Arus kitchens, so he figured it would work here.

Allura managed to really look mortified with him, even though she winked as he slunk backwards toward the stairwell with the wooden steps. He did look down the other staircase, it was stone and it was led downward only, but there was a chain across it that said it wasn't for use, by anyone which made it interesting to him. He quickly made his way up to the top of the stairs, three flights of rickety stairs that felt like they might give way under his feet, by the time he got to the top he didn't like the idea at all of Zora walking up them every day of her life. Sooner or later they were going to go, they needed to be looked into and he doubted Prince Seth would think to do it. They had to get the right man into this Castle, he hoped Xan was it. Zora thought so, Lance liked to think she'd be right, he liked the older Xiosian. She had an intelligence and just the kind of presence he liked.

He knocked on the door. Her voice carried through the wood and it said something Xiosian that he hoped meant come in. He opened the door. "Zora, it's Lance Larkin, I hope you said come in?"

Zora was sitting by her small fire, reading a book by a lantern. She stood up, "I did, yes. I was expecting you to be one of the girls, they come day and night after dealing with something, or Seth..."

Lance nodded and wished he could have done for all the women of this castle what he may have managed for Allura. "I'd like to knock his head off his body," Lance said.

Zora laughed heartily. "Quite a nice image. I have not yet gotten a report back on whether your friend is with Xan or not."

Disappointed hit him, even if that wasn't why he'd tracked her down. "Not why I'm here, I just wanted to let you read this page before I disposed of it," he pulled the file out of the back of his pants, then took the page with the codes out and handed it over to her.

Zora took the page and went back to her chair. "These old eyes need the light."

"Of course," Lance said.

She read it. Lance stood, he couldn't quite get a read on her, but noticed her fingers tighten on the pages. She kept it for a full ten minutes, Lance was sure memorizing the numbers. Then she stood up and handed him back the paper. "Thank you, you should hurry out. However you managed to get in here without raising eyebrows, probably wasn't a longterm distraction."

"Allura's in the kitchen, I should get back you're right," Lance said putting the paper back in its place, and the file in his backpocket. "See you soon, Zora."

"Yes, I'm sure you will."

Lance left the room and made his way back down to the kitchen. Allura was still asking the chef about their various fruits and vegetables. He walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her and whispered in ear. "I'm getting tired."

She leaned back into his touch, into his voice, in a way he didn't think he'd ever get used too, or ever stop savoring. Smiling she thanked the cook for letting her bend her ear about all the wonderful food she'd been eating, but they were going to leave her alone now. Then Lance led her out of the room, and out of the dinning hall and toward their room.

"What was that about?" Allura asked as he closed their door.

"This," he handed her the file.

Allura opened it and her eyes fell on the first page, widened and she looked up. "Zora has them now?"

"Yes."

Allura grinned, dropped the file and flung herself at him, hugging and kissing. "Then I guess I was being silly for being so nervous," she whispered in his ear, then started to kiss down his jaw, until she noticed how much he'd stiffened. Allura hung onto his neck and moved back only enough to meet his eyes. "Lance?"

"He wants me to fly this prototype ship," Lance said. "Night before the coronation. It's Alliance made, Prince Seth wants an Alliance squadron based here but he wants his own ship, but Wade seems to have had his finger in this since the beginning..."

"What's the issue?"

"Falling Stones are a huge part of what's running the systems. Wired through it, electrical, into the engine core, and it's...my gut says don't fly it."

Allura's grip tightened, Lance grabbed her by the hips and lifted her up enough so he could press their foreheads together. "Don't then," she said but he knew by her voice she knew he had to.

"Allura,"

"I hate this," Allura said.

"Me too, Allura. Where they are building the prototype, electricity, computer systems, got there by a hidden elevator, it's all Xiosian technology. The tech they think they lost to this war, to Seth's goddamn ancestors. He thinks it's Grand."

Tears dropped from Allura's face onto the both of them they were so close, Lance ran a hand up her back, into her hair from the nape of her neck. "Don't cry," he whispered.

"It's that, or yell," she said. "And I can't yell at you not to go back down there, not to fly that ship. When?"

"Day after tomorrow, that night."

"And Wade's going to keep you all day tomorrow, under his thumb isn't he?"

Lance nodded.

Allura grabbed at him, her hands on his face, she stared at him, her eyes wide. "I..."

Lance leaned into her, holding onto her arms now, waiting for her to finish her sentence, his heart racing his chest. She looked terrified again, pale, confused but the way she was looking at him, the way she held onto him, made him believe that she was sure of him, she was sure of them. It was something at least, and he wanted to know what it was she wasn't saying, if it was why she was so afraid all the time.

A knock on their door startled them both, they untangled themselves and Allura went to pick up the papers she'd scattered when she tossed the file Wade had given him. Lance opened the door. A servant girl was there, one they hadn't seen, but she quickly just handed him a note and said. "From Zora."

"Thank you," he said, but she had taken off like a shot down the hallway.

He closed the door.

Allura put his file from Wade by his computer. "What's that?"

"It's from Zora," Lance said.

"Keith?" Allura asked.

"Let's find out," he asked, opening it.

_Your friend is with Xan. I am afraid that there was no message back from your friend; but I feel that the two of you are expecting that. I have sent Xan the gift you have presented to us, this will aid him greatly in something he and his friend are planning. I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say more, but I will say it will happen the night you are to fly that prototype, if I know how Xan thinks and I do. I have heard Wade and Seth talking about the ship, and about it's source. Been hoping it'd lead me to where they have the stones, but it has not. Maybe someday soon, now thanks to you. Both you please be careful. Z._

"He hates us," Allura said, sitting down.

"He hates me. He loves you," Lance said, sitting down next to her.

Allura grabbed Lance's hand. "I went into this with my eyes as wide open as yours were. The distinction is lost on me," Allura looked up at him, then she leaned over her head falling on his shoulder. "I wouldn't change a thing."

Lance closed his eyes, smelled her hair, and drank in the moment because he was terrified his time was running with her, and he wasn't going to waste any moment of the time left. "Me either," he said. "Not a second."


	32. Chapter 32

~~~~32~~~~

Keith was looking over the Castle's floor plans, he had to keep blinking his eyes just keep them open, Kyla had marked the places where she knew security was at its lowest, where they could take out a few guards here and there, get their own soldiers in the uniforms and undercover in the castle. He was looking at the dining hall, at the kitchen, there was stairwell that lead down to a lower level, Keith eyes kept being drawn to it. He followed it again, flipped the pages, and finally found the one he'd been looking for, it led to where Prince Seth and his security chief kept their Snow Terrain Vehicles, marks from Kyla showed that during dinner hour it had limited guards. It led right out into the open. It was the perfect in and out point.

"No, whatever you are thinking, no," Xan said behind him.

Keith turned and looked at him. "It is the most logical."

"It's secured by a computer system. Key codes at the door down the stairwell, main doors to the garage where the terrain vehicles are kept, another key code. We have no way of getting them. Plus, none of my men would know how to use the vehicles."

"We'd only need one," Keith said but he was shaking his head. "So Seth uses technology then."

"Oh it still exists, he just hordes it just like he hordes the stones that create it."

"Good, then he'll have the raw stones to trade for Allura," Keith said.

Suddenly there was a rush of air, Kyla was inside the tent, her hair a disarray and her mouth curved up into a wide smile. Keith was in shock, it was a full expression on a face that had remain so completely stoic. She turned to Prince Xan and she held out the paper that was in her hands. "I, the Commander, the one named Lance, what he just did, I almost don't believe it but Zora went down to the garage before she sent it. She opened the door, she looked inside, and closed it. The guards didn't even notice her do it. It's...Unbelievable."

Keith's own eyes went to the paper, his mind putting it together but he watched as Xan took the paper and read it. Xan's sharp eyes slitted so close on an area he was reading they loosed closed, then he sat down on the edge of the cot Keith had been sleeping on. "Guess you're going to get to steal that terrain vehicle after all, Keith."

"Key codes? From Lance?"

Kyla nodded, hands pushing her hair behind her ears. "Yes," she said her voice falling back to her normal monotone. "Zora was in the midst of writing word when our latest word to her was delivered. He showed up at her room with it, handed her the paper and gave her the time to memorize the numbers."

"He's a good man."

Keith nodded, though he was gritting his teeth, his mind struggling to separate Lance the man who had always had a strong sense of need to help the persecuted and Lance the guy who knew how he felt about Allura, who knew about her feelings for him and yet was now putting himself between them. That betrayal, that betrayal, it was to big to look past. Keith stayed quiet.

"Also, Keith, your computer should be here by sunrise."

Xan was looking at Zora's note again and he shook his head, smiling. "I can't believe this. The backdoor main access codes, this gives us complete access to ever where in that castle. We can make this stand with Princess Allura, ask for the raw stone, trade her back to the Alliance - then we can start figuring out what's going on the places we haven't reached out. We could...this could chance everything every thing in this war."

Keith smiled a bit, he liked Xan, he liked these people, they reminded him of the people of Arus, of others he met while he was fighting Zarkon with the Voltron Force. "It gives you an upper hand, also showing the Alliance that you are the true King of Xios, as per the planet's traditions is important. It will help out, Seth won't have Wade backing him in whatever ways he has been thus far."

"That is the other thing, Xan. The second page. Their is prototype ship, Prince Seth has been working with the Alliance, Wade specifically. Zora heard them talking about it, Lance is to fly it day after tomorrow, after dinner. To show it off I believe."

"What kind of ship?" Keith asked.

Kyla shrugged. "I do not know, I've only seen them in the air in my lifetime."

Xan nodded. "We're okay with radios, computers, the kids are better, but out here in the snow, away from the Castle we have junk hand me downs that even Xiosian based tech."

Keith nodded.

Xan handed Keith the paper. "Zora describes it a bit, she knows more than I do," Xan said handing Keith the papers in his hands.

Keith looked at the paper, Zora's handwriting now a familiar neat scrawl.

_It's Falling Stone Tech, but looks like Alliance ships. He wants them to blast you and others off the planet, to leave only those loyal and scared of him behind. I am afraid I do not know how the pilot, Lance, feels about it, I was too excited about the codes, that precious gift to ask him about it, to even let him know I knew what he was being ask to do. I do know I do not like the ship, it bothers me, it feels wrong. But I know nothing about ships, I know only about the egos of Seth that scrawny boy Wade._

"Scrawny boy Wade?" Keith muttered to himself, wishing he could use that to prove that Wade had been using the war on Xios to help himself gain power and was using his Alliance position now as well. Only he couldn't. He handed Xan back the notes. "Doesn't tell me much, though I don't get how those stones can run a ship, or anything really," Keith scratched the back of his neck. "When I get my computer I'll ask Pidge."

Kyla cleared her throat, when he looked at her, she looked right at him and said. "And Lance, he's seen the ship, ask him about it."

Keith grabbed a file that was on the cot, Xan was still sitting on staring at the key codes with a bemused smile on his face. "I think I'll look at these files on Wade's father for right now," he said going to sit down on a stool by the heater in the tent.

Kyla watched him, her point hanging in the air between them but he was going to ignore it. He wasn't going to just send Lance an email, not now not ever. When he got back, when this was over, when he had Black Lion back, when they were all back on Arus,... If Lance was still with Allura, he'd...no, there was no way it'd last, right? Allura couldn't love Lance, not like she loved him. She's always loved him, since the day they met, Allura had loved him. It'd always been there, he'd fallen for her just as swiftly. That wasn't something to ignore, it didn't just go away - a voice in his head, sounding a lot like Lance, reminded him he was going to ignore it. Tell Allura they had to ignore her, for her people, for Arus. She belonged with a Prince, to be the strong and good Queen for her people.

Biggest mistake he'd ever made. He should never had held back.

~~~~.~~~~

Allura woke with a start, her heart beating wildly in her chest, the remnants of another nightmare causing her to feel terrified and hurt in a way she can't process, because the dream vanishes the second the wakes. She's entirely tangled up with Lance, they fell asleep, touching, kissing, but having not made love for the first time since the shuttle. It'd been perfect though, just holding on to him, looking into his eyes and knowing she could say whatever came into her head, no matter how crazy or scared it made her sound, there would be no judging.

She kept wanting to tell him, just how important he was to her. How much she'd been thinking about their past in conjunction with their present of late, how it all felt so natural that went from who they were then to who they are now. How safe and sexy she felt in his arms at the same time, how it amazed her that he could still make her laugh even after she woke up screaming from a nightmare - one she was certain that was about him.

She turned toward him, it caused them to be face to face, she was so close to him, she could see the texture of his skin from the glow of the fire in the fire place. Feel his breath against her own nose and mouth, she hugged into him, touched their foreheads. Started to search, started to try to find the words she wanted to tell Lance so she didn't keep starting a sentence with 'I...' and going nowhere.

She'd gotten lucky and he'd interrupted her, or something else had, but sooner or later he was going to ask her what she wanted to say and what would she tell him.

He'd been her friend for as long as she could remember, could she even pinpoint the moment? They'd been through so many things, so many life and death moments, they'd both spent time worrying about Keith who seemed to be always the one to get hurt, as their leader putting himself out there to protect her, to protect everyone. All the time telling Lance his out of the box thinking was reckless, Allura rolled her eyes. She didn't know the moment, she didn't know when Lance or any of them had become her family, but they all had. She knew she'd been drawn to Keith and nobility, his inherent goodness from day one, because it reminded her of her father. She liked Lance because he was funny and she thought Pidge was sweet and Hunk was adorable. That they all got under her skin, that Pidge and Hunk were like her brothers was natural to her. That Keith had been - Keith, to her, the one she expected to love forever, that was natural.

Lance, much like Keith had been Lance. He made her laugh, he drove her crazy sometimes, getting in her business, poking and teasing at her until she told him why she was in a mood. He helped her out when she wasn't getting maneuver as fast as the rest of them, when she was having trouble; he helped her become as good as the rest of them by giving her extra help, teaching her and not treating her like a fragile girl. It was with Lance she became Allura. He was the first to call her just Allura. She asked Keith too. Because she wanted to hear it from Keith. It'd been so important to hear Keith call her Allura with the title between before her name.

Lance being more than just Lance. Yes, it'd thrown her those first days, on Earth, the flipping belly, the anticipation she felt on seeing him, the need to not say goodbye to him, to keep him in her space as long as possible. By the time they were both home on Arus, she couldn't deny it anymore, she wanted to kiss him, she wanted to touch him, she wanted to sleep with him.

Allura moved her hands, slightly, against his skin where they lay against him. Just to feel his skin, the softness that covered the muscle, but she didn't want to wake him.

Her best friend, her first lover, her Lance.

How did she tell him how important of this was, how important he was? Allura closed her eyes, they kept closing in on her again, she breathing in sync with him, slower and slower, coming down the rush of fear her nightmare had caused.

Soon she was asleep again.


	33. Chapter 33

~~~~33~~~~

Keith couldn't sleep for more than four hours at a time, he fell asleep in the early morning hours and woke up just as the Xiosian sun was rising. The files about Wade's pirate father, Wayne Wade, on his stomach and chest. He picked them up, eyes scanning the lines again and frowning. It was details of what the man had done on Xios, but nothing the Alliance didn't know, nothing that wasn't known about the man who'd led a double life. Little was known really, the Wades were a rich family from both sides, Sky Marshall Wade's mother, Lila Wade, had come from old money, centuries of history in the Oil and BioFuel business. His father's family had always had a more sketchy past, but Wade's grandfather, Joseph Wade, had been an upstanding citizen a man who made his money the old fashion way, working for it by inventing the ejection seats that were still in every Alliance spaceship. One good patent and you were good to go on Earth.

Too much money, Keith thought, it gave Wade a way to cover his tracks and he was damn good at it. Keith frowned and stood up, and saw his computer was on the stool by the bed. He picked it up and put the files down on the stool and sat back down on the cot. He opened the computer, turned it on and hoped it wouldn't connect to any wireless, after all Xios was supposed to be a planet of lessor technology.

Only the program Pidge had placed into the computer turned on, encrypted his location and IP address and connected him to the wireless network of the planet Xios. Looking at it, it looked Alliance based, Keith sighed as he watched his email fill up.

Encrypted messages from Lance and Allura. Four in total from Allura, Six in total from Lance. Then 12 each from Hunk and Pidge, all with near identical dates and times like they were tag teaming him in hopes he'd answer.

He quickly scanned the ones from Hunk and Pidge, they were all the same, checking in because Keith had gone silent for too long. Then the last one was that Allura had told them he was on Xios and okay, and they were happy to hear it. Neither one of them mentioned anything about Allura or Lance, Keith was grateful. He quickly sent them both the same email, letting them know what happened to him, how he now had his computer and that he was helping out Prince Xan with a plan to go against Prince Seth before Wade left the planet. He didn't mention the plan to kidnap Allura while Lance would flying the ship. They'd warn them, and he didn't want them warned.

Maybe if he kept telling himself it was about executing their plan he'd believe it.

He moved the cursor over the first email from Allura, wondering is this it, is this the email where she tells me she's with Lance. His foot tapped against the ground underneath him, his other hand clutched the scratchy blanket on the cot, and then he just clicked it to get it over with.

_Keith something horrible has happened. I just...Keith. It's Lance, I've never seen him quite like this, he's so quiet, he won't move away from her. When he does talk he's blaming himself, it took me nearly a full day to get him to wash the blood fully off of him._

_I'm sorry this isn't explaining anything. Farla crash landed on Arus this morning, we've been up since dawn now. She was shot down by her own people on Alliance orders, from that scientist Early you were checking out. She's in a coma now, Lance is blaming himself - of course he is, I would too I know it, but I, I can forgive myself. Does he know how?_

_You know this side of him better than anyone, Keith check in on him please, his computer is with him. I gave it to him. He's living in ICU with her right now, I had to order the nurses to not kick him out. Please. Allura._

The information was so far from what Keith was expecting, Farla was on Arus in a coma. Lance blaming himself, Allura was worried about him because he'd gone quiet, he wasn't leaving Farla's side. He knew why, Keith knew why, the reasons, the understanding came flying up in his head, despite all the rage, jealousy and hate he felt toward Lance.

Seeing anyone in a coma had to be reminding Lance of his sister, the sister he couldn't be there for, the sister he couldn't visit except by long distance video, every now and again. His sister who died.

The sympathy surprised Keith, how it rose up fast and furious, the understanding of knowing what seeing Farla would in that situation would do to Lance. Add to that that Lance had asked Farla to speak against the Alliance's stance on Voltron the last time they saw each other, in order to help Lance's cover, to help in the rescue of himself. Keith felt himself feel responsible for her being in the coma himself.

It was instinct, old instinct, Keith thought, because he was still angry, a cold, hard anger that was aimed in Lance, and was unlike anything he'd felt before. He'd just known and loved him like family for to long for old instincts of protection and sympathy not to rise up when hearing things like this. It changed nothing.

He hit Allura's next message.

_Are you on Xios? Why aren't you responding? You have a check in soon, I hope... Father spoke to me earlier, before Farla, Lance I need to go Xios. The three of us are supposed to be together there. Facing enemies, finding friends. Somethings going to happen, Father mentioned falling stones, so we should be ready to fight. Lance, I don't know how I'll get him away from Farla. I think, I think he could've loved her, don't you? I think about how they met, how he's talked about her before and it strikes me now, he could've loved her, maybe, but... Oh the gardener is here, I want to fill her room with Lyra Rose. Check in soon, Keith, please. We're all starting to worry._

Alfor, Lance, Farla. Keith didn't know what to make of the message, he knew about the prophecy, but he wasn't even sure why Allura had sent him this message at all. Had she wanted him to confirm something about Lance and Farla, or to not confirm it? Was she jealous? Keith didn't even want to ponder that idea.

He clicked open the next message.

_Lance and I are leaving for Xios soon. I've made a decision about something, it's something you need to be made aware of because I owe this to you. Earlier when I told you about Father's prophecy I left something out. Father said I will learn the truth of my heart while the three of us are together. He told me that he always knew I would choose between you and Lance._

_I've been with Lance, it's new, we were dancing around it from the moment we saw each other on my latest trip to Earth. It's grown everyday, and now we're at a place where we are together and I've made the decision to make it publicly known on Xios._

_In part as a message to Prince Seth, to Coran and Nanny I won't be marrying prince but also, mostly because I want to be with him._

_Keith we left things unanswered, you never answered me. When I asked you I was at my limit with the waiting for you to make a move. To stop hiding behind my title, I don't know what it is but I can't let go of you completely. Not to I understand why you avoided me, why held back all those years, where you stand now. No matter what I feel for Lance now, you are my first love that doesn't die._

_Don't be angry with Lance, please, what's happened between us happened at the same time mutually and we acted, because why shouldn't we have - we are both single grown adults._

_I hope we meet on Xios, I hope we can talk. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say, that though I am with Lance, you are still my first love._

_Always Allura._

It hurt more seeing it in her own words, the back forth from saying she loved him to going back to talking about being with Lance. The odd casualness their relationship sounded like it had, yet her words about her feelings, sounded anything but casual. Allura was a woman who had deep feelings, she wasn't casual. Lance could be though, he could hurt her so deeply. Keith clenched his jaw and resisted another urge to cause mayhem with his sword.

Then there was the missing piece of Allura's prophecy from her father. She'd find the truth of her heart, choose between him and Lance, Alfor had always foreseen it? Keith shook his head, it sounded crazy, Allura had always been drawn to him, only him. Her friendship with Lance hadn't been that different from her relationships with Pidge and Hunk, had it? Keith sighed, he never given it much thought, at all. He'd only really cared about his own relationship with Allura, and how to keep it at arms length with increasingly getting harder everyday as the years went on.

He didn't know what he was going to do, or say when he saw her, when she was with him face to face and they could finally talk again after so much time apart. She'd changed, her actions, her notes showed that, she'd grown up more, she sounded stronger, more sure of herself. This thing with Lance, she'd changed. But she was still Allura, caring, kind, beautiful inside out. Keith prayed he found the right words, he and Allura thought alike, hopefully that still stood. She couldn't have changed that greatly, right? He asked himself.

The last from Allura were worried ones due to lack of contact, nothing more, so Keith deleted it, along with Hunk and Pidge's. That left the only unread messages in his email to be Lance's. Six emails from Lance's email sat mocking him, one of them Keith knew was telling him about how Lance was with Allura. He put the cursor over the delete button, it would just take six quick clicks, but for some reason he couldn't do it.

Keith closed the computer with a slam.

~~~~.~~~~

Lance slammed the engine cover shut, wiped his hands on his thighs, smudging oil onto the gray Alliance uniform he was stuck wearing for - God only knew how long - the rest of the stay on Xios. His medical leave was now official over. He hopped up the steps into the cockpit of the small ship, it was built to be fast, and shoot lasers. It wouldn't do much in a space battle, but it'd do what Seth wanted - help him spread his tyranny across his planet.

He turned the ship on, put his feet on the thrust and the shift, wrapped his right hand around the piloting stick, his left gripped onto the leveling control. He made sure it was in neutral so it wouldn't go anywhere one last time, then closed his eyes and just focused on the vibrations.

Huge undulating vibrations, they made his bones feel like they were vibrating, he felt a pull to the left from them and then after a while it went right. Then suddenly it was up. He hadn't moved, it was vibrations of the engines, how the hell the stones were working throughout the ship?

Lance gritted his teeth, opened his eyes and turned the ship off. Then he just sat in the ship. He looked around through the viewport, the space was relatively empty, just a few other alliance soldiers, and a few Xiosians that Prince Seth trusted to not to turn on him, probably descendants of people who'd been on this side of the war from day one on this poor winter planet, he thought. He hit the communication button on his voltcom.

"You awake?"

"I am, just trying to decide on which sweater to wear today," Allura's voice came through. "Is this safe?"

"Safe enough, I'm in the ship."

"Feel any better about it today?"

"Not at all. Power source is to strong for the ship, maybe it'll..." Lance trailed off.

Allura swallowed. "Lance, what do you think is going to happen when you get in the air?"

"That the ship is going to fall to pieces. But don't worry about me, I'll eject out before anything explodes."

"That's not all that reassuring, it's waste land out there."

"Wade will send the Alliance soldiers here out to find me, Seth probably send some of his own men."

"What about what Keith and Prince Xan are planning for that night, what if a rescue..."

"Allura don't worry."

"I'll do it myself if I have too."

Lance laughed but he smile was wistful. "I wouldn't mind that at all," he said , softy. Then he noticed someone walking towards him. "Gotta go, engineer guy is here, going to ask him about a few things Hunk mentioned in the email I got this morning about making this ship more sturdy."

"Be careful," Allura said.

"Always, Baby," Lance said signing off.


	34. Chapter 34

~~~~34~~~~

Lance watched from the bed, over his hips, toes sticking out at the foot wiggling, his hands under his head. He looked lazy, like he wasn't really paying attention but Allura knew better. He was watching her, as she pulled on a pair of silk pink panties, clasped on a strapless bra, and reached for her nylons. Lance's eyes saw every minute detail, he was watching her cover herself up, the reverse of what had happened less than an hour ago. Allura loved the weight of his gaze on her.

Wade had given him an hour to do as he pleased before the dinner. He'd found her, grabbed her and pushed her against the first wall where no eyes were watching and kissed her passionately. Then they had made their way, laughing, giggling and touching as much as physically possibly, with stops to kiss here and there to the room. Now it was time to get ready for dinner, where Lance was to leave before the dessert arrived. To get in a ship that was likely to fall apart.

Allura's hands trembled as she finished pulling the nylons onto her legs, and turned to step into the dress she was wearing for the night. It was the blue cocktail dress she'd worn the night everything began to change between them.

She walked over to the bed, turned her back, and asked. "Zip me?"

"I'll zip you," he said, sounding half asleep, another thing Allura knew was false, he was sharp as tack, in fact he was wire-tight, too tense and nervous but he was doing his damnedest to keep it from her. She smiled, hearing the bedclothes move, then his hand on her hip pulling her closer to him, closer to the bed, and almost knocking her onto her feet, until his other hand was on her other hip. He kissed the back of her neck.

"Don't touch my hair," she said, she had just spent ten minutes pulling it up.

"Why do you think, I'm gripping your hips so tight," Lance laughed into her skin.

Allura giggled, and then the dress tightened around her as he zipped her up. "You should get dressed," she said.

"I like flying naked," he said.

"You have to eat first," she said, grabbing his hands then letting go only long enough to turn around to face him. "And as fun as that might be to see, it'd would not be very proper."

Lance yanked and Allura found herself on his lap on the bed, being soundly kissed.

"You aren't a proper princess anymore remember," he said.

Allura rolled her eyes.

"I'm really not hungry," Lance admitted, letting her get up.

Allura shook out her dress, checking for wrinkles, then she sat down to her make up table, and tried not to think about why he wasn't hungry. "You don't have to eat much, then...I wish," she started to say.

"Allura," he said, getting out of the bed and grabbing the boxers that were on the floor and hopping back into them. "I'll be fine, you have your voltcom in that purse thing?"

"Yes, I'll have it, so if whatever Prince Xan and Keith are planning effects me I'll be ready..." she said, thinking that she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to focus on anything but Lance until the flight was over.

She watched him through the mirror as she put on her make up, stepping back into his uniform, making sure that everything was in order with it, and it didn't look like it'd been tossed on the floor. Then he went over to the bed and started making it, after he untangled the tangle of blankets they'd created.

"How did the ideas Hunk gave you go over?" she asked, hating the quiet, knowing he only got quiet when he was nervous or scared.

"Some were accepted, some weren't, they would have taken to long to do right, and Wade is insistent it happen tonight."

"Why tonight?" Allura asked.

"Night before the coronation, that's for Seth to show off, tonight I think Wade wants too to everyone who is here. You've been visiting with them, it's a who's who of the Alliance. The press is back tonight, and tomorrow. It's to show off."

"Then he should listen to you," Allura grumbled, putting down her lipstick.

Lance walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "I will be fine."

"Flying a ship you know is going to fall to pieces," Allura said.

"It might not," he started to say but saw her expression in the mirror. "Okay, it will, but I'm expecting it. Trust me, I'm planning to make that flight as short as possible. There is no way I go into space, he wants me showing off in the atmosphere. The plan is go out easy, go as far as I think it can handle, first sign of it falling apart turn around and pick up speed coming back here. Eject first sign of flames."

"How about first sign of danger?" Allura said.

"Allura," he shook his head.

She stood up, the stool she'd been sitting on upended and she whirled around and slammed him in the chest causing him to stagger backward. "Don't you Allura me! I'm scared, I'm worried, I keep having that damn nightmare where I can't...I don't know what I can't do I don't remember. But it's given terrifying a new definition for me, so don't just try placate me here. And stop pretending you aren't just as afraid as I am because it's starting to piss me off instead of amuse!"

She was yanked into a tight hug, she buried her face into his shoulder, trying to stop crying because she'd started and now she didn't know if she could stop. He ran his hand down her back and up again, his mouth kissed her ear before he started whispering to her.

"I'm terrified too, I have a theory, I don't really have a plan, what else is new right? I don't want to do this, I don't want to be here...I don't want to be a good Alliance soldier. I wish I could tell Wade and the Alliance to go to hell, like Keith did, like you just did by telling the Universe you aren't going to marry some stranger, you're going to try to find love. But I'm am serious about one thing, Allura, I'm am promising you to be careful up there, because there is no way I'm leaving you alone for too long. Not with Keith out there, not with him probably in this castle tonight, and not with Seth still flitting from Princess to Princess looking at you the way he does, when he thinks Wade or I aren't looking. I don't want you lose you, that's what is scaring me the most."

"I'm not going anywhere," Allura said lifting her head and touching his face. "You're what I'm scared of losing too."

~~~~.~~~~

Keith was thankful Xiosian palace guards wore helmets that covered half of their faces. With his on he could stand in the Dinning Hall anywhere he pleased and keep an eye on everything. He'd stationed himself at Wade's table, Allura's table, to keep on eye on the two people he needed to keep an eye on the most. Kyla was stationed by the kitchen door, and despite the mask over her eyes, Keith could still feel her eyes on him, her entire bearing aimed at him to stay on focus.

Which he was, he was completely on focus as everyone milled into the Dinning Hall and sat down at their seats, talked amongst themselves, some going to other tables to talk to before the dinner began. Then the clock struck six, and everyone went to their tables and the food started coming out, but Prince Seth held up his hand.

"Wait."

Wade too was staring at the two empty seats at his table to his right.

Everyone turned to look at the seats, the media of course started recording and flashing pictures. Keith stared at the empty seats, knowing who they for, and then a old woman servant walked through the door across the room and made her way without a rush over to Prince Seth.

"Princess Allura and Commander Larkin are running late, I was going to freshen their room and they asked me to say to start without them," she said quietly to the Prince.

Prince Seth sighed. "So be it, thank you Zora."

Wade chuckled. "Young love!" he said loudly to everyone in the room, making all the reporters start typing into the handheld computers the note.

Zora. Keith forced himself to focus on Zora, who then slowly made her way over to the servants delivering the food to the tables, and how she instantly became the one in charge. So that was Zora, he looked around the room, to find where Xan had stationed himself, the table across from him Keith realized, recognizing Xan's height, he was tall even for a Xiosian. This was the first time he was seeing this woman, his relative, his most trusted spy. Keith couldn't help but note it, feel the weight of the occasion. But he was soon distracted.

Allura and Lance walked in, just as all the tables got their plates and a quiet had settled all over the room. Keith felt blinded, Allura looked breathtaking, and he ached to go up to her, to be the one to escort her to her seat. The both stood a little taller when they realized everyone was watching them walk in, that the media was taken care to record every step, but they didn't separate an inch. They were so close, Lance's arm tightly around her waist and it didn't leave until he pulled out her chair for her. As soon as Lance sat down, their hands were clasped under the table.

"Glad you could finally make it Commander, it is your big night, after all," Wade said.

"I still think you should postpone this, Wade," Lance said taking a sip of his water.

Keith watched as Allura stopped from taking a bite of her food as Lance spoke and let it fall back down to the plate. Lance dropped her hand from his, but only long enough to pulled her chair so it was flush against his, grab her hand again and rest it on his thigh.

Wade who had been chewing when Lance spoke, swallowed and answered. "We've discussed this ad nauseam Commander, but you can only base your theory the ship will fall apart in the air on your gut. All our tests ensure that you are 100% safe. And I would think you wouldn't want to worry Princess Allura."

"I rather know what he's walking into than not," Allura said to Wade. "I trust his instincts, I wish you would too." Keith watched as she spoke she unconsciously - or consciously for all he knew leaned toward Lance.

He couldn't let himself look directly at Lance, he was too afraid to think about what might happen and he had to stay focused on their plan. They already had control of the garage below the kitchen. Every guard on duty in the room were Xan's people. Hopefully, while everyone was watching Lance through the viewport windows, it'd be easy to grab Allura, steal the one terrain vehicle and take off.

"The ship won't fall to pieces, Princess Allura I ensure you. It's state of the art."

"But do we really understand the falling stones? Have they ever been used for space flight before?" Allura asked.

Wade glared at her, then at Lance. "Once again Larkin, I have to wonder. Are you following orders or not?"

"I'm following them, Wade. Against my own instincts," Lance said, then leaned over and whispered into Allura's ear.

Keith bristled but told himself he was telling Allura, what Keith had also noticed. Wade hadn't answered her question, instead he'd completely evaded it, what did that mean? Had the stones been used to aid space flight before? If so, why hadn't the Alliance used an old Xiosian design. He also hated to admit it, because he didn't want to give Lance credit for anything but he was being forced to so, yet again, if Lance had a gut instinct about how something was going to fly - it was right.

He looked out the viewport windows, turning from the table for a minute, all that was before them was a vast clear field of snow with a mountain range far off on the horizon. Above was starry clear sky, it was a perfect night for what Wade wanted Lance to do, serendipitous for him, hopefully serendipitous for him but would be for Lance. A lump was in Keith throat, he damned his heart again and he turned and looked back at Lance and Allura.

She was whispering into his ear, she looked angry but not at him and Keith figured it was at the situation. Lance reached up with his hand to touch her cheek and leaned forward and Keith for a fear filled second thought he was about to witness kiss and but instead Lance whispered something into Allura's ear.

Allura's face was a study. First she looked angrier, but then Lance pulled back and Keith couldn't see his face but whatever Allura saw there made her blush, then she smiled - a smile Keith had never seen, it was a grown up smile, it was a sexy smile, it was teasing coquettish smile. Then Allura was laughing, the laugh she always laughed when Lance said something funny and she was hitting his arm. "That's not fair," she said.

"Baby, I'm never fair," Lance said back.

Allura shook her head and went back to her dinner. "Try to eat? Or should you just push the food around like you are? What's better? I've never really worried about it with flying."

"That's because with the lions you don't need to," Lance said. "I'm going with it's better I don't eat."

"Okay," Allura said.

Wade suddenly stood up and cleared his throat. "Ladies, Gentleman," he called out. "Thank you all for being here the past two weeks. Tomorrow night, Prince Seth, our very gracious host will crowned King and announce his engagement to one of you lucky Princesses."

There was a bit of clapping and small buzz of talking throughout the tables, Keith heard Lance mutter, "I hope whatever the hell Keith has planned with the real Prince, saves that poor Princess from life with that ass."

"Me too," Allura said, her eyes on the two Princesses who were sitting opposite her and Lance at the table, Keith figured she was trying to guess which one of them was to be announced as Seth's betrothed, knowing Allura would offer her help to them if they ever wanted. Even if now they didn't think they'd need it, Keith smiled as he watched her then until she turned back to Lance and grabbed his hand as Wade spoke his next words.

"The Alliance is proud to have Xios among our planets, we will have a strong presence here as King Seth, if I may a bit early, builds up his empire and rebuilds his planet, and finally brings peace to the end of centuries of civil wars."

There was clapping, mostly from all the Xiosians present, Keith, Xan, Kyla and the rest of Xan's man playing along but clapping as well. Wade smiled around the room. "As part of that presence will of course be military protection, and Xios's own space fighter to protect the planet. Commander Lance Larkin, Lance stand up."

Lance stood up and gave a rakish grin to the whole room, looking confident and ready.

"Now, say goodbye to your princess and get down to the ship," Wade ordered. "By the time we are finishing our dessert which they are starting to serve now, Commander Larkin will be wowing us with the beauty of the Xiosian X Fighter, and his own brilliant flight skills."

Keith let Wade's speech fade the background, Lance and Allura had both stood up and walked to the viewport, they were closer to him than they'd been before. He thought they might stay there, but they both looked over at him standing there, at duty, and walked a few more feet away, now he was going to have to really focus to hear them. But if he could if he tried.

"Don't cry," he heard Lance said but he couldn't hear what Allura was saying back but he saw her smile that shy coquettish smile again, and his heart sank further into his stomach. Then he reminded himself she had sent him two messages that said she still loved him, he still had a chance, he did.

They stood close, talking for a bit longer, and they both jumped when Wade took notice and shouted. "Lance, get down there!"

"Yes, sir," Lance shouted back and he leaned down and kissed Allura.

Keith closed his eyes, he couldn't watch it, there was no way he could watch that, they had been touching enough, he was on edge enough with all the handholding and whispering. His eyes shot open when he heard Allura call out.

"Come back to me!"

"Always," Lance yelled back.

Then Allura walked right past him and sat back down in her seat and picked up her glass of wine and drained half of it.


	35. Chapter 35

~~~~35~~~~

Allura drained the rest of her wine. The chatter at her table was nothing but noise to her, she couldn't even think of eating the slice of pie in front of her. The wine had made her face feel numb but it'd done nothing to calm her nerves, to quiet her brain's litany of what Lance had told her could go wrong, and she shivered. She glanced around the dinning room, her mind also wondering just when Keith and Prince Xan were going to do - or if they were doing something elsewhere, or if they were waiting for Lance to hit the air.

A hand covered hers, she startled and looked up. Queen Flavia was across the table from her, Allura smiled at the dear woman weakly. "Breathe, Allura," she said.

"Trying," Allura said.

Queen Flavia shook her head, then stood up, walked around the table and took Lance's vacated seat. "What you and Lance were saying to the Sky Marshall, was all of that true?"

"Yes," Allura said. "I'm terrified, I'm so terrified, I'm shaking," Allura whispered to her, trying not to cry, but tears filled her eyes anyway.

Queen Flavia, grabbed both of Allura's hands. "I'll stay right here. And, that man of yours, he's not going to let anything keep him from you. He loves you much too much for that."

"Does he?" Allura asked, "I think he does, but he won't say it to me."

Queen Flavia shook her head. "Really, he didn't strike me the type not to say it. I see it though, the way he looks at you that's real love."

Allura gave a weak smile. "It's not that he isn't the type. Things are just complicated."

Queen Flavia squeezed Allura's hand. "They don't look complicated, watching the two of you."

"Ladies, Gentlemen," Sky Marshall Wade announced, made Allura startle and she turned toward him, her heartbeat picking up to even faster pace.

"No," she whispered, "not yet, please."

"If everyone would step up to the main viewing windows, Xios's Mother Nature gave us a beautiful night for watching the ship in the air. Commander Larkin will give us quite a beautiful show I am sure."

Despite her fear, Allura rushed to the windows. She stood next to one of the guards, Queen Flavia stayed with her, putting her arm around Allura's waist. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Allura."

"It's going to fall to pieces," Allura whispered.

"Perhaps not," Queen Flavia said.

Allura smiled, she knew Flavia was trying to make her feel better but she turned to the Queen, and shook her head. "You don't know him, how he is in a ship, how he reads the engine vibrations, minute changes in the vectors, he wakes from a deep sleep from a slight unexpected change. He knows. I trust that instinct. He better eject in time, I pray he ejects in time," Allura swallowed a sob, she reached out with the hand that Flavia wasn't holding and touched the glass.

The ship appeared then, shooting up into the sky, thrusters burning bright against the Xiosian sky, everyone behind Allura oohed. She stopped breathing, she stopped hearing, everything else stopped existing except for Lance in that ship in the air before her.

~~~~.~~~~

The Xiosian X Fighter lifted up into the air with hard burn, that didn't shock Lance but once he was in the air, he felt a familiar push and pull in the cockpit. It was like home to him so he pulled on the controls instinctively and the ship almost fell into a perfect flight.

The only thing stopping it was the size and shape of the ship.

Lance kept flying on instinct and prayed. He didn't understand how this was happening, how this was the answer to why the vibrations he'd felt on the ground had felt familiar. How had he missed it? How hadn't he put together? Why would he have put it together? How were the Falling Stones connected to his Lion.

Because that was the answer. The X Fighter flew like Red Lion. His home away from home, the best ship he'd ever piloted, the only ship he ever wanted to pilot for the rest of his life. His Red, his home, his Lion.

The feel of X Fighter was precisely the same push and pull of vibrations, the same thrumming that rushed into his bones every time he inserted his key and launched Red Lion out of the volcano on Arus.

Red Lion had the most powerful engine he'd ever flown, but the Lion could handle the power, the Lion was built to handle the power.

The X Fighter held that power. It wasn't built to handle it.

Instincts had him flying to compensate, as much as he could, to try to keep the ship together. He kept the atmosphere. He was already hearing Wade on the comm, ordering him to up higher into space, then to come flying back down. The shear was already causing things to start crackle and pop, the ship was starting to fall apart at the seams, just like he'd been expecting. There was a loud whoosh, then an alarm telling him there was fire - the first part of the ship at falling off.

He moved around some shielding and he started to turn the ship back around, to head back toward the castle, to try make sure his ejection site was as close to the castle as possible. When he heard a voice in his voice.

_Lance. The mountain._

It was King Alfor. He'd know that voice anywhere, but he shook his head and looked ahead trying to get the right readings to make his heading back toward the castle, more pieces were flying off, more fire was burning the ship apart behind him. But he couldn't see for some reason, he kept blinking, he tried talking to himself to keep his eyes open. "Keep it alert, Lance, you promised Allura, come on!"

_The mountain, the mountain you must crash there, Lance._

Alfor took over his head again and when his eyes opened, he'd somehow inputted a heading he didn't know. He was listening to Alfor then, whether he wanted to or not. Flying the ship as much like Red Lion as he could, toward a large snow covered mountain, Lance fought to create a controlled crash landing. He hit his comm and shouted out his headings, that he was crash landing and added a colorful told you so to Wade before everything went black.

~~~~.~~~~

Allura watched and everything changed forever.

The moment she saw the ship start to fall apart, to fall out of Lance's control, saw him fight for control. She was plunged into her worst nightmare. She knew now what she'd been dreaming, what had had her unable to scream, unable to move, unable to do or feel anything but intense fear, regret, emptiness.

He crashed. He crashed and there as no ejection. A crash and she tried to scream, she tried to run. She wanted to demand a ship, one that wouldn't fall apart, she wanted to demand to lead to the search for him. Lance had to be okay. Had to be okay because she had so much to tell him. She knew what it was she'd been trying to say.

It was simple.

I love you.

She loved him. She loved him.

And she was paralyzed and he was out there crashed in the snow, and she wasn't with him and he didn't know. And he was dumb enough to think she didn't, that she didn't love him. That she couldn't and Allura wanted to scream.

Where was her voice, where was her ability move. Her heart was pounding so loud in her ears, the terror she felt. God, what if he was gone and she felt her knees give out of her but she didn't fall.

There was arms around her waist, she was being dragged, now carried, the window was vanishing from her sight, the sight of the crash was going away, where Lance was was vanishing.

No. She wanted to yell, she had to yell, but her voice was still lost to her, lost in the fear, the regret, and she didn't understand her own obtuseness. She loved him, why hadn't she seen it.

This was her nightmare, why hadn't she recalled it. He can't die, he can't die, he can't die, she prayed, he can't die not knowing, damn it.

Something was being pushed onto her, she stood there wanting to run, wanting to find Lance, save Lance and save herself. Now she was too warm, to terrified and warm and Lance was freezing in the cold, alone.

There was a noise, engine. Then a blast of cold, something wrapped around her confining her onto something, and movement. Her eyes blinked and the world came into sharp focus, on the horizon by the mountain range she saw the smoke still in the sky from Lance's crash sight, she was on a terrain vehicle, moving toward it and pure joy rushed her until the terrain vehicle started to turn. It was moving away from the crash, moving away from Lance.

"NO!" and she yelled, got herself unbuckled, then she was fighting the driver, fighting him, this man who had taken her for whatever reason for control. "I have to save Lance!"


	36. Chapter 36

~~~~36~~~~

Keith eyed the crash site, the part of him that ran into fire for a living wanted to speed toward it and make sure his teammate - that Lance - was in one piece. Despite his anger, despite knowing the second he saw Lance standing at his full height with that damn usual smug expression on his face he'd be breaking his jaw. Keith cared, he hated it but he cared, but he couldn't go toward the crash site, he had to get Allura to the new camp site they'd set up, to record the ransom demand and get Prince Xan on his rode to to his rightful place as leader of this planet. He gave a quick glance behind him, Allura was still glossy eyed, staring straight ahead, numb - shock if he ever saw it. He'd have to keep her warm, by the fire, find as many blankets as he could in the camp. That was another priority. He turned the vehicle from going straight toward the south, to the east, toward the woods, and it was instantaneous. He'd lit a match.

Allura was all over him, her elbow into his stomach, her hands on the wheel, her entire body trying to take off the front seat of a the two seat vehicle. "I must save Lance," she was muttering over and over.

She meant it.

Her knees joined her elbow, then her feet, then her whole body was his in the front, her own feet joining his, stepping on his feet, as her fingernails pushed through the gloves he had on to get his hands off the wheel. "Get off!" she yelled.

"Allura, stop!" he yelled, fighting for control, finally, out of options he just pulled the key out of the vehicle and made the engine stall out.

A punch to the face made him fall off into the ice and snow, he had a bloody nose, now and Allura jumped down she had her hands up ready to keep hitting him, but that was when her eyes connected to his and she realized who she was dealing with. "Keith?"

He nodded and climbed to his feet, her hands fell down to her sides, he stood up, and whacked snow off of himself. Wiped at his nose, happy to see that it was already starting to clot, at least she hadn't broken it. "Can we get going to Xan's camp?"

"No, we go find Lance," she snapped.

"No, we leave that to Wade."

Allura slapped him.

Keith sighed. "Allura, you have to come to the campsite. We've kidnapped you, I can let you go off on a rescue mission, besides you are not dressed for one."

Allura glared at him, threw off the coat he'd put her in, flicked her right forearm and her voltcom came into view and the her space suit appeared around her. "I'm fine, for a rescue mission," she snapped, then her whip appeared, lashed out at his feet and dropped him on his ass into the snow again. The keys when flying from his hand and she grabbed them.

She climbed into the vehicle, turned it on and was off before Keith was on his feet. Keith swore under his breathe, started to run after her, gave a high long jump into the air and initiated his dual blazing swords as a boost in power and landed on the back of the vehicle. He was going to hate himself for this but he dropped one sword, grabbed her from behind and brought the other sword up to her throat. "Allura, stop."

"Keith, quit it."

"Damn it, Allura."

"I'm going to save Lance, you're not going to cut me."

Keith growled, she was giving him no choice, he had to do something here. He let the other sword vanish, then he grabbed her from behind, cutting off her oxygen with one arm and grabbing at her voltcom with the other arm. Her space suit fizzled out with a snap as he took it off of her arm. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Allura," he muttered, as she fought against him hard enough that she lost consciousness swiftly.

He then jumped in, took over driving, but kept her on his lap and felt like a complete bastard the entire drive toward Xan's campsite. Against his will, he even found himself turning toward where you could still see smoke from the fiery blaze that had been Lance's crash. One question kept nagging at Keith. Why hadn't Lance ejected? He'd heard Lance tell Allura he would? What had happened in that cockpit? Why hadn't he? He'd had time, Keith had been watching, there was time? Why hadn't Lance turned around, gotten closer to the castle and ejected? The crash made no sense.

Keith hated the conflicted feelings in his head and heart. He was used to things being clear, black and white. This is good, that is bad. Allura is beautiful and untouchable. I love her but must stay away. Lance is my best friend, my brother. It wasn't clear at all anymore. Nothing was since Wade. Wade was Alliance he was supposed to be the good guy, he was supposed to be trustworthy, not the enemy.

Allura was supposed to love him. Not be with Lance. Lance was supposed to be loyal, not betray him. He was supposed to hate whoever betrayed him, not still love them or care about their well-being.

Bad guys weren't supposed to be helpful, yet he'd gotten help and intel from them more than once in the past year. Some of them turned out to have more honor than men he'd known for years that he'd trained with in the Alliance. Keith's world view was being tested. By Lance and Allura the most, right now.

He pulled the vehicle behind the large trees they'd agreed on using to hide it, and cut the engine. Allura was coming too, he quickly hid the key in his pockets, along with her voltcom. She woke with a start, calling out Lance's name and she flew off his lap when she saw him. Xan and Kyla walked up.

"What took so long?" Kyla asked.

Xan looked at him, his eyes repeating Kyla's question.

Keith jumped down.

Allura slapped him again the second he hit the ground. "What the hell is wrong with you," she yelled. "Lance is out there and we are here. Lance is one of our own, Keith, I don't give a damn about some kidnapping plot of yours right now. I don't care. Give me the damn key back and my voltcom. I'm going after Lance!"

"No."

"Keith!"

"No."

"Fine. I'll walk, I'll do it without the voltcom," Allura turned and started to walk.

"Allura, you'll never find your way out of the forest," Keith yelled, walking after her. "The sooner we do the ransom video, the sooner you are back at the Castle and can help with the search."

"And what are you going to do, just let him stay out there. Alone. I thought he was your family?"

Keith stared at her. "My family? He betrayed me the second he touched you."

"I didn't belong to you, Keith."

"He knew how I felt."

"I didn't."

"No, but I was wrong..." Keith reached out and grabbed her hand. "Allura, I was wrong. I love you, I want you, I love you."

Allura shook her head. "I know. I mean I can't talk about this now. I need to know Lance is okay, he has to be okay. Please tell me he'll be okay, why didn't he eject, I don't understand, why didn't he eject. That stupid, asshole, that son of a bitch, why didn't he eject!" Allura started punching at Keith's chest and then she was crying into his shoulder.

Keith didn't know what to think. Had he lost his chance was it over? He didn't know, but what he did know was that she needed him. Allura needed him to strong just like he always was on Arus. He was the shoulder she ran to when she was scared about when she felt like things were falling apart. He'd hold her now, even if it was about Lance, he'd hold her out. Even if it ended up being the last time.

"He'll be fine. He always fine. He does something crazy and he comes through without a scratch, you know that, Allura," Keith said, because it was a tested theory, Lance was usually the lucky one.

She sniffled into his shoulder and nodded.

"So, is this why you are late?" Kyla said.

Keith glared at her over Allura's head.

Xan laughed.

"Let's get inside, she must be freezing in that dress."

Allura looked up and met Xan's eyes. "Prince Xan, I'm sorry. I do care about your rightful place as Xios leader. I hope whatever your plan is works. What are you exchanging me for?"

"Raw falling stones," Keith said.

"Oh." Allura nodded.

"That makes sense. The legend, have someone see you burn them. They will question Seth, there are so many important Alliance people here, Wade will have to do what is right. Good plan. Though, I doubted you wanted Lance crashed during it."

Keith shook his head. "I was hoping he'd be the main voice shouting about getting you back."

Allura looked at him, she was pale, her blue eyes were filled with tears that kept spilling over. "He'd be loud. Always. He'll be okay. Keith, tell me he'll be okay!"

Keith had to shake his head, because he wasn't sure. "I don't know, Allura. What I heard you two saying about the ship, it sounded..."

Allura held up her hand. "Don't. I don't want to hear it. Let's get this video over with. I want back in that Castle. So I can demand to be part of the search. Now." She started walking past Xan and Kyla, following the footprints they'd left in the snow, toward the tent. Leaving Keith and the others no choice but to follow her.

Keith watched her go, royal, beautiful, strong, emotional, his Allura. Only she might not be his anymore. He wanted to kill Lance, but first he needed to know Lance was in one piece, and alive. Then he'd kill him.

Gray, it was all too gray. He wanted it to be more simple. Much more simple.

~~~~.~~~~

Black. It was all black. Lance realized it was because he couldn't get his eyes to open. He wasn't quite sure if he was awake, or waking, or dead. It was black. And it was warm. He'd crashed onto a winter planet. It should be cold. He'd gone to Hell.

It made sense in some ways, that'd he'd be in Hell. Sure he fought for the right side of good versus evil, but he was not the good boy. He was the bad boy. Bad boy who tried to steal the princess from the good boy.

Allura. He promised, he promised her he'd come back, in one piece.

He wiggled his fingers. He felt them wiggle. All ten. Wiggled his toes, felt all ten against his boots. He moved, that had been a bad idea, everything went dizzy and it spun.

He was unaware of things for a time. Then it was all black again. Still oddly warm, too warm for such a cold planet. That kept bugging him, kept telling him to open his eyes, he had to open his eyes. He had to not let himself fall too deep into the black. He probably had a concussion. Was he losing blood anywhere? It'd be a miracle if he wasn't, Lance thought.

He promised Allura. He broke one promise, he hadn't ejected. He'd meant to. Why hadn't he? King Alfor? Right, Alfor had pointed him toward the mountain, some damn snow capped mountain.

Why had Alfor made him crash land on a mountain? "What is that about?" Lance tried his voice, said it out loud, his voice was cracked, rough, he licked his lips and tasted copper. Blood, split lip or two then, he thought.

He fought and fought and finally got his lids, so heavy to open. It was bright, almost too bright where he was, he blink, brought up his hand to his face, to cover and shield his eyes. He wasn't outside, he was in a cavern, and it was bright, but it wasn't sunshine on snow.

It was rocks. The stones. Raw falling stones, he realized, they still shined. Not nearly as bright as the processed form but they were bright on their own. They were everywhere around him. On the ground, in the walls, but there was something else too, there was an orangey-red glow. He tried to move, the dizziness wasn't as bad as before, he gritted his teeth through it, undid his the straps around him and climbed carefully out of what remained of his cockpit. It was amazing there was even a cockpit left.

On his feet on the ground, he glanced at the ship. It was more intact than he expected, more than 45% of the ship had remained with him down into this cavern. He looked up and saw that he'd falling through a hold in the top of the mountain down into the core of the mountain - he wasn't putting something together here. He rubbed his temple and then swore at himself. Bad move, that did not help a concussion.

He walked around the ship, slowly, to stay on his legs so he wouldn't fall on his ass and stopped short when he got to the other side. He found the reason for the warmth, a pool of lava was right in front of him. He was in a volcano, not a mountain. It didn't look active, but it was definitely a volcano.

He looked at the walls of the volcano again, the floor of it again, it's entire structure was falling stones, it was wholly fire stones. No other rock, no other crystals, or granite, or mica. Falling Stones were volcanic rock, they were of Xiosians natural fiery core.

He stood there, his head pounding. He looked up, he turned slowly to look at the ship, that was more intact than he expected and sighed. "Yeah, uh, okay Alfor, I crashed where you sent me. Now what?" Lance asked, not expecting an answer.

_open the engine panels and push the ship into the lava_

Lance startled and then he stared skeptically at the lava for lack of a better place to stare. "Say what?" he asked, thinking that was crazy.

_what would Allura say?_

Lance had to nod at the lava. Alfor had him there, Allura would tell him to believe, because her father had never led them wrong despite the oddness of his requests, of his riddles, of the knowledge he gave. Lance sighed and went to the ship and opened up what he could of what was left of the engines. Some of it was already wide open from the paneling ripping off during the flight.

He then got on the other side, activated his voltcom and the forcefield - codename hot hands - over his fists for extra strength and started to push. He was dizzy, he ached, he had to take more breaks than he'd ever admit to. He nearly passed out more than once, but he didn't give up. He just thought about Allura, he thought about what a douche Prince Seth was and how he could not remain the Prince of this planet. Lance needed to tell Prince Xan's camp about this volcano, and not let an Alliance rescue party find him here, because if Wade saw this, he'd let Seth horde all the stones.

After hours of work, Lance watched the ship sink into the lava.

As he watched it disappear however, he felt stupid. It wouldn't have flown again but he might have gotten the radio to work and now he had it melting in the lava. Alfor probably had been his imagination from the damn concussion.

What had he just done?


	37. Chapter 37

~~~~37~~~~

What the he just done?

Stared at where the ship at just vanished, the lava had smoothed over. He should have tore out the radio. Torn it out, worked on it, made it workable and worked on climbing out of this mountain and getting back out into the open. That way he could be found by Wade and the Alliance out in the cold. He'd never have to mention the volcano, or the rocks underneath the snow cap of the mountain.

Except to Zora. Then she'd get the intel to Xan. Job well done. He'd probably been imaging Alfor. Hallucinations due to his concussion or something. Some sort of comfort, a way to feel closer to Allura.

Chuckling filled his head. _I am real Lance. You did the right thing._

Lance sat down against a rock, and shook his head. "King Alfor," he spoke toward the lava, "look, I believe in you, mostly because it'd be stupid not too. But I mean you're dead. And I can't pretend to even understand how you stick around, or how you know things. But why exactly did you have me push the ship in lava? What's melting it going to accomplish. I need to get back to Allura."

_Allura is safe. She is with Keith._

Lance felt jolted, he was suddenly more awake. "What? How? How is she with...that was what they were up too. They kidnapped Allura? For what? The stones?"

_Yes, but it will do them no good._

"Great, just great. So, what they'll let Allura rot out there with a supposed bad guy I suppose...no that'd be political suicide for Wade, right?" Lance stood up and started to pace. "I can't just stay down here, I've got to get out of here."

_Be patient. Lance. It will all work out. Pick up some stones._

Lance rolled his eyes. Of course he was surrounded by the raw stones, it was a no-brainer. It still didn't answer how he was going to get out of this situation and how he was going to be any help to anybody. He squatted down and gathered about dozen raw falling stones. He liked the weight, warmth and feel of the roughness of them against his palms. He pushed them into his uniforms pockets.

"So, uh, how much longer to I wait, while Allura whiles away the time with Keith?" Lance muttered, staring down at the lava pool.

_She needs this time with him. As he with her. But soon the three of you will stand together._

~~~~.~~~~

Allura stood alone. She'd done her part, she'd said her lines, played the kidnap victim in civil war, placing Wade on the spot and Prince Seth too. Now all they could do was wait and see what happened after the video went out. Keith was using his computer and their new found key codes into the Castle to pipe it and put it on every single person who was in possession of a computer. With Pidge's help via encrypted video communication. It was so they knew Wade couldn't hide the ransom from Alliance members in the Castle.

It was a good plan. Allura was impressed, it was bold, smart, it was Keith. What she wanted to know now was how the search for Lance was going, had they found him yet? She'd asked for an update over an hour ago, what was keeping Keith at his computer on the inside of the tent.

Allura hugged her jacket closer to her, thanking Zora in her head, for making it possible for her to have it with her. She stared toward the south, wishing she could see out of the forest, see where Lance had crashed. Maybe if she could see where the crash had happened, she could sense if he was okay.

She heard footsteps behind her, but she knew they weren't Keith's. A throat cleared behind her and she glanced out of her periphery. "Yes, Prince Xan?"

"He and Pidge are having a few issues, Pidge thinks it's the upcoming ice storm."

Allura shrugged.

"They are still searching, they think he went down on the closest peak, Mount Shios, but they aren't detecting the ship at all. It could have fallen under the ice and snow, into the caverns, but they have to search for that by foot, and climbing the mountain takes time."

Allura nodded, she didn't have her voice again, fear was gripping her. If he was gone...no, he couldn't be, he wasn't, she hadn't come here to lose him, she'd come her to find him. Find her heart's desire, that is what her father had said.

"It's going to start soon. The ice storm, you might want to..." Xan said.

Allura shook her head.

Xan nodded. "Well, come in soon, Princess Allura."

Allura prayed, to her father, to the Arusian Gods, to whoever would listen to her. She talked directly to Lance in her head, reminding him of his promise to come back to her. He promised and he'd never gone back on any of his promises to her and he better not be starting now, she thought. They had to find him, he had to be okay. Next time she saw Wade, she was punching him in his big smug nose, she thought. Playing nice to him or not as a cover story, he'd endangered her boyfriend's life, knowingly. If he wanted to use Lance because of his pilot skills, he should damn well listen to him when he told him a ship wasn't flyable, Allura thought.

Ice started to fall from the sky, tiny sharp little chips of it, she barely felt it against her cheeks. Please let him not be too cold, she prayed. Footsteps were behind her again, this time she knew they belonged to Keith.

"It's out. Did Xan update you on the search."

"Yes," she whispered.

"Allura, you should come inside."

"He's out there."

"He wouldn't want you out here too," Keith said.

"How would you know, what Lance wants," Allura muttered.

"Because I wouldn't want you here," Keith said.

Allura turned and looked at him. "He'd let me search for you."

Keith shook his head. "I know and he'd be wrong. It'd be a crazy risk, to kidnap you to help Xan, then let you go off looking for him like you aren't a captive."

Allura shrugged. "I don't really care about right or wrong right now, Keith. Not everything can be put into one or two categories," she said, then she walked into the tent.

Keith followed her.

Allura sat down by the heater, on the stool. Keith sat down next to her.

"Allura?"

"What?" she whispered, staring at the heater.

"I can't let you go off looking for him."

"We already established that. I'm assuming that's why you haven't returned my voltcom."

Keith nodded. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I had to knock you out."

"I'm not sorry I punched you."

"Okay, then..." Keith said trailing off.

"Lance, he kept telling me you'd hate him."

"I do."

Allura shook her head and then turned to look at him. Keith met her eyes head on. "Why?"

"Why?" Keith snapped. "Why wouldn't I, Allura. He took you, he's touched you. He knew how I felt about you, how we felt...He knew everything. And he still stepped between that...it's betrayal."

Allura stared, her mouth fell open and then she closed it and looked away. "I used to talk to him about you all the time. How wonderful I thought you were. Brave, noble, and heroic. And how annoying you were too, stubborn, too quiet, to closed off. You hardly ever talked to me, I'd try and try to get you to open up, to tell me anything. Anytime you shared something personal with me, it felt like a victory. He'd tell me how you just don't trust people that easily, he'd tell me how you never have. It's just not who you are, how your a private person, and never really talk about the things that matter. He tell me that half the things you two talk about were in some sort of weird guy code you two formed during your time at the academy. But Lance, I mean Lance he can be an open book, except when he's not. But once you get him going on the things he keeps inside he doesn't stop...I know there are things he still hasn't told me. But I know he will and when he does he won't hold back." Allura stopped. "He's out there alone, and we're here. We're his family, Keith. We are all he has and we are here sitting in front of a heater. When he's where, on a mountain in the snow!"

"Allura," Keith reached out and grabbed her arm as she started to stand up, she sat back down and looked at his hand on her arm.

Allura looked at his hand, she felt the heat of it on her arm and she remembered how a moment like this used to light something up inside of her. She smiled at the memory and she hated him for stopping her from running off. "I feel useless."

"He's being looked for."

"By Wade," she spat.

"And good Alliance soldiers."

Allura sighed and then studied Keith for a long time and went back to their prior subject.

"He didn't betray you alone you know. I'm the one who told you I love you, I'm the one who told you wanted something from you, and I'm the one who invited him into my bed," she explained.

Keith let go of her like he'd been burned. "Allura. No. Come on," he looked away.

"What?" Allura asked. "What, your perfect little proper princess can't want a man? Can't be a woman with needs and wants, can't be someone who craves being touched and being treated like a woman more than a symbol for her people? I made the first moves, Keith. I keep looking back at everything and it was me. He walked up to me on the Academy Space Station and he hugged me and he was favoring his side...and the worry that stabbed at me was shocking in its weight. Then I couldn't stop touching him, worrying about him, wanting to be near him. And he, picked up on it and he felt the change too. The charge, and we tried to ignore it, but... It was stupid too. We're adults, we're friends, we care about each other. So we stopped ignoring it, Keith. I'm glad we did, I will never regret it. It's the best choice I ever made," Allura wiped her eyes, and looked away from Keith. "I'm terrified I'll never get to tell him," she whispered.

Keith swallowed. "You're in love with him."

"Yes," Allura said.

Keith stood up and started pacing. "And I'm not supposed to hate him?"

"You never told me you loved me back, you never made a move, you always kept me at arms length. You took off without a goodbye."

"He. Was. In. Your. Room." Keith spat out.

Allura's eyes widened.

"I was going to say goodbye, tell you why it had to me to go underground and not him. Why this is my responsibility. But he was in your room and you were begging him to stay. I mean I knew you two were close back then, but that he was in your room, grabbing you... I just had never notice before then, how casual he was with you. I was going to ask you to step outside and walk with me," Keith laughed. "But, I had to take off, I couldn't wait for him to leave. He'd leave."

"You were going to say goodbye, were you going to say anything else?" Allura asked.

"The wrong thing, the stupid thing, I suppose it doesn't matter now that I want to say the right thing."

Allura stood up and walked over to him and took his hand. "Keith what was it you were going to say?"

"That I did have feelings for you too, of course I did, but that I was pilot not a prince, and that you owed Arus a true King. We had to stay apart."

Allura didn't know how to react to him, it didn't surprise her at all when she thought about it, all the avoiding he'd been doing, how he always stared but never touched. How just kept her at arms length, how irritating and annoying it all was and how she'd reached the point she had to know if she had a shot or move on. She nodded. "And now, now what do you want to say?"

"That I'm a moron, that was wrong, that I love you, I always have and I want you, I love you Allura," Keith said and stepped into her body space and reached out to touch her face.

Allura flinched, she stepped back and shook her head. "Too late," she whispered and she felt sad, sadder than she could explain about it all because it was Keith she was looking at. She loved him, she always would, he was her first love, her first crush, he was Keith, he was her hero. "I love, I do, your my Keith. But... I'm in love with Lance," she said and she reached out and touched his face. "I'm sorry."

Keith let her touch his face, for a brief moment but on the apology he turned away. "I'm going for a walk."

She let him go.

She sat back down at the heater and hugged herself, and started to pray again for Lance's safety.


	38. Chapter 38

~~~~38~~~~

Senator Heather Barnburnt paced her quarters in the castle. Everything had gone to hell in a handbasket in a matter of seconds. She'd been at the table when Commander Larkin had spoken, she thought insubordinately to Sky Marshall Wade about his misgivings considering his flight, now she knew that wasn't true. Then there was the kidnapping of Princess Allura. Arus was one of the most vital Planets in the Alliance. It's army, it's location, Allura's just and fair hand in diplomacy.

The ransom demand had appeared on every audio and video feed, of every Alliance member's computer and communication device, they all knew what was being asked in exchange for her. Yet Sky Marshall Wade had not said anything to anyone about it. The Alliance soldiers were searching for Commander Larkin, yet not one update had been given on the search for the young pilot.

Barnburnt stopped short as her computer beeped, she turned toward and saw it was a video communication. She opened it and was not at all surprised to see it was Ambassador Coran of Arus. "Coran?" she said.

"Is there any news on the Princess, is Wade going to make the exchange?"

"He hasn't made any announcements, or answered my request, or any others requests to see him, Coran."

Coran's face remained impassive but Barnburnt saw his mustache twitch. "I am four hours out of Xios, he has not been answering my attempts at communication either. Try harder, please Senator. Any news on Lanc- Commander Larkin?"

She shook her head, "I'm sorry, Coran. I know they are still searching."

Coran shook his head. "I've brought someone who might be able to help speed the search. I'll see you soon."

Barnburnt nodded. She closed her computer and then spun on her heel, she was going to talk to Wade whether he liked it or not. She opened her door, roughly and startled, Queen Flavia and her granddaughter stood just over the threshold.

"I'm sorry, Senator, we didn't mean to startle you," Queen Flavia said. "I just, there doesn't seem to be anything being down about Allura."

"I was just about to go deal with that, or try too. Wade has been ignoring my requests to see him. I was about to go make him see me. Would you like to join me."

Queen Flavia nodded. "Yes. I would. I would also like to know what is being down about finding Lance? I haven't heard any updates on the search for him, and Bronwen just told me she saw all the ships and terrain vehicles coming in for the night."

Princess Bronwen nodded. "I heard it was about the ice storm."

Barnburnt sped up her walk. "Let's get to his room," she led them down the corridor, toward the larger suite that she knew Prince Seth had set aside for the Sky Marshall. She banged on the door. "Wade, It's Barnburnt, let me in. Now."

Silence.

"Wade. I know you are in there. I saw you head in there, an hour ago and my aides have been watching the door with orders to tell me if you came out. I want to discuss the situations. Ambassador Coran is on his way here, about Princess Allura and Commander Larkin. They are his people, Larkin is a dual citizen from what I know, and she's one of our best. We have to discuss this ransom demand, we have to give in to it. Let me in now? Why has the search been stopped, or ships can handle the storm. Wade?"

The door flew open, an Alliance soldier stood there giving nothing away with his expression, Wade sat at a desk, Prince Seth sat across from him. They both looked grim, Barnburnt walked in, followed by Queen Flavia and Princess Bronwen.

Wade and Seth both stood.

"I want answers Wade?" Barnburnt said.

"We can't give Xan and his terrorists what they want," Seth barked.

"I'm not even sure why they'd want it," Wade said.

"Because Prince Xan probably thinks he can prove he is the rightful King," Princess Bronwen said.

Barnburnt turned to the Princess of Paxial. "What?" she asked in unison with Queen Flavia.

Prince Seth laughed condescendingly. "It's a myth."

"What myth?" Barnburnt asked, looking at Wade. "Wayne? What myth? This is about the unprocessed stones they asked for, the stones we us to start our fires? Princess Bronwen tell me what you know?"

"A Xiosian soldier told me. The unprocessed stone, it will light on fire in the hand of the rightful King of Xios. Xan must want to get his hands on some of the stone to try to prove he is the rightful heir to the throne. That is why he's asking for them in exchange for Princess Allura."

Queen Flavia looked at Barnburnt. Barnburnt in turn was looking at Wade, she'd known him for more than half her life, he was a hard to read man but sometimes she could tell when he'd been caught in a lie. He knew about this myth and he knew it wasn't a lie. "This is true isn't it, this isn't some myth, it's based in truth. The stones work that way, don't they? It's real mythical magic?"

Wade sighed. "I suppose it could be. But there are no rough unprocessed stones on this planet. Seth's family processed every stone they had, that is all there are. We can't give them a unprocessed stone because we don't have any."

"Processed stone won't work?"

"No," Seth said. "Anyone can touch those."

"There are no mines where you could go to get an unprocessed stone?"

Seth shook his head. "The mines are lost to us. Generations ago, my family destroyed them and any map to them. We don't know where they are or how to find them."

Barnburnt glared at the two men. "Then how are you planning to get Princess Allura back, Wade. Coran is on his way here, the Alliance is not going to rest until we have her back. And also the search why has it been called off for the night?"

"It's minus 70 on that mountain, Senator. I have men building a camp, readying to start climbing up. But he crashed near the peak, the wind shears are to high for flying up and landing. It's going to take time. We can only hope we find a body at this point."

Queen Flavia gasped.

Wade shook his head. "He was a good pilot, yes it is a loss, but we must face the facts. He's gone."

Barnburnt hated to admit it. "He's right," she turned to Queen Flavia. "I'm sorry, I knew you were close to the two of them, Queen Flavia."

Queen Flavia shook her head. "He's alive, my people we have instincts, we feel things. This is something I know. You are wrong, Sky Marshall. Bronwen, let's go, Ambassador Coran is going to need our support when he arrives and Allura our help when she returns. Find a way to bring her back, Senator Barnburnt."

Barnburnt nodded and turned back to Wade, slammed her palm down on the desk. "We must come up with a compromise with this Xan, to get Princess Allura back."

~~~.~~~

Pidge tongue stuck out of his mouth as he concentrated in his seat, next to Hunk in the cockpit of Coran's Ambassador Class shuttle. Coran had specifically requested them to be assigned to him for his emergency flight to Xios on hearing about Allura's kidnapping. Since they were citizens of Arus, it wasn't questioned.

There was a squawk on the line, a buzz of static and Pidge jumped onto his knees in his seat. "Lance, Lance, can you hear me, it's Pidge?"

"Pidge! Pidge, yeah, where are you?"

"On the way to Xios, with Coran. Are you hurt? Are you in one piece? Trying to lock down your coordinates, its...wow it's fuzzy, I'm amazed I got your volcom communication to work."

"I'm in a volcano."

Pidge fell off his seat, Hunk moved the entire ship a hard jerk to the left and then back in line. "Sorry, sorry," he yelled into the ship communications, "that was just a little flight glitch, everything is is fine folks." Hunk said, and Pidge laughed at him.

"What, how you are in a volcano?"

"Long story, I'm waiting for something to happen. King Alfor... he's keeping me cryptic company. How is Allura, is she still with Keith?"

"How do you know she's with Keith?"

"King Alfor!" Lance shouted.

Pidge moved away from the communication speaker. "Okay, okay. You're talking to the spirit of King Alfor. Gotcha. Yeah, they haven't done anything about the ransom yet. Wade's totally ignoring Coran's attempt at communications."

"Something you would know something about, Lance," Coran said from behind Pidge.

Pidge met Hunk's eyes, then Pidge quickly said. "He's in a volcano!"

Coran's hand fell on Pidge's shoulder as he leaned over him, to be closer to the communication microphone and speaker, and Coran paused. "What?"

"I'm in a volcano. I'm talking to King Alfor. And I feel like I've gone insane."

"Senator Barnburnt has just sent me a communique, Wade it seems can't exchange Allura for what Keith and Xan are asking for because they don't have the unprocessed stones."

"Oh, that's what King Alfor meant. Well, I've got plenty of those. Surrounded by them. They are volcanic don't you know. I think they have something to do with Red Lion, by the way. Oh and did I mention Alfor told me to push my ship into the lava."

Pidge cleared his throat. "Okay, yeah, Lance you do sound crazy, I think I have pinpointed the volcano, it looks like a normal mountain unless you look deeper. The planets winter temperatures mask it, especially since it is an inactive volcano. It is made out of a very distinct ore source, it has energy properties, this is the Falling Stone?"

"Yep," Lance said.

"Interesting," Pidge said. "You are at least, wow, you are about - 60,000 feet down into the planets earth."

"Tell me about it."

"Lance, what has King Alfor's spirit told you?"

"That soon, I will stand with Keith and Allura. He had me push what was left of the ship into the lava."

Pidge, Hunk and Coran exchanged looks

"Uh, Lance, how are you in one piece?" Hunk asked.

"I don't know, I have a hell of a concussion.

"Are you sure King Alfor is real?" Pidge asked.

"No," Lance laughed. "Look, guys, tell Allura I'm alive okay, please? Tell her I'm sorry I didn't eject, tell her it's her dad's fault. 'Cause it is."

"Lance, when you get out of the volcano, you and I are having a discussion about you and the Princess," Coran said.

"Yeah, I know," Lance said, "huh, uh, guys, something's happening."

~~~~.~~~~

Lance dropped his arm down from where he'd been talking into his voltcom. The lava was bubbling, all the falling stones in the walls and on the floors around him where brightening into a bright almost pure white light. He stood up, and stepped back from the lava, afraid that if it spurted up and out he might get burned.

That's when it happened. Red Lion flew out of the Lava, roaring and beautiful, it landed on all fours in front of him with a growl and a purr. A beautiful, majestic, perfect sight, that was too good to be true. Lance blinked and when his eyes opened again, it wasn't a lion that was on the ground in front of him. But it was a ship. Yet it wasn't the X Fighter he'd crashed into the volcano. It was an upgraded version of it...crude metal outsides, more mainstreamed and contoured.

"What the fuck?" Lance whispered.

Alfor's laughter filled his head.

_Don't try to make sense of it, Lance. I know more now than I ever understood while I was alive and still moments such as this confuse my mind. There are powers in the universe that our minds simply cannot process. But because of who we are our souls and hearts are worthy of peeks beyond the veil. You are the current owner of Red Lion, Lance. The stones are part of the power of the Lion. Therefore the stones know you as someone to trust and to protect, so they offer you this gift. Fly back to the castle - it will self-destruct when you get there_.

Lance reached out and touched the new ship, the impossible ship, to find that it was cool to the touch. "Huh," he thought.

"Lance, Lance?" Pidge called in on the voltcom. "What is it? What happened?"

"Uh, I have a new ship? I'm flying out of here now," he said, his eyes not moving off of the ship that had appeared out of nowhere, giving him the image of his lion. He pushed opened the hatchway to climb into the cockpit and climbed inside. It was a perfect fit, the controls were exactly like that of Red, it was uncanny. His heartbeat rose in exhilaration as the ship roared to life, the second his hands hit the controls.


	39. Chapter 39

~~~~39~~~~

Allura heard a beep on Keith's computer, she walked over to it, pulled up the top and saw his email screen. The newest email was from a contact she didn't recognized, the rest of his emails were all unopened encrypted emails from Lance. It'd been over a day now, but it felt longer, he felt to far away from her. She wasn't hearing him say ridiculous innocuous things, he wasn't unconsciouly twisting her hair up between his long fingers, and they weren't holding hands without even realizing it until they went to walk in opposite directions and couldn't.

He wasn't making her laugh and smile, that her face hurt, that her she lost the ability to breath from giggling. He wasn't making her breath catch in her through from just looking at her the right way and saying her name, or calling her 'Baby' without even realizing it.

She hadn't told him yet that she loved him.

She hadn't heard him say it, either.

She opened the first email to Keith, she didn't care if it was private, she didn't care that it wasn't for her eyes, that it was really for Keith's eyes and he'd been avoiding it. It'd be the closest she could get to hearing Lance talk, to hearing Lance's noise, she needed that noise in her life.

_Keith,_

_You remember when you didn't tell me you were in love with Allura? And I never told you I knew? I was falling for her too, way back then, who wouldn't right? There she was, this actual Princess, with a heart of gold and a will of steel that she planned to use to protect her people against all the odds. She wasn't just beautiful on the outside, it was inside too - and she was funny, smart and mischievous. But you looked at her like she was the world, and she looked at you like you owned her soul, and I was just the guy who made her laugh, her friend Lance. So I buried what I felt, I pushed it aside, and I told myself, didn't matter anyway, 'cause a guy like me, I didn't do commitment, I didn't belong with a Princess anyway.'_

_She doesn't look at me like I'm just the guy who makes can make her laugh anymore, she doesn't look at me and just talk about you. I don't even know when it happened, but it was awhile ago, maybe even before you left. But I know her, she likes cheesy soap operas and reality competition shows, she has never liked the color pink, she worries about Larmina everyday, she doesn't like Nanny's blueberry muffins but she'll eat them anyway._

_Allura trusts me, she asks me for advice and I'll never get it. She listens to me when I talk, she knows stories about me I haven't even told you Keith. It's... I kissed her tonight, or she kissed me. And this is the thing Keith. I don't know which one of us started it. I don't know what it is? But she came to Earth this past week for a Peace Week, and we kept - touching, we kept skirting and we kept ignoring the fact we wanted to be with each other. And then we headed home and Arus is home and it is where we are real. And we stopped pretending._

_And it doesn't matter. I'm just, for once I'm saying it, I'm not ignoring it. Maybe I shouldn't be saying a damn thing without her knowing I am but the truth is I'll tell her sooner or later I've told you. I can't do this without telling you anyway. I am pursuing this with her, because she feels it too. She felt it with you, you had your shot. I stepped aside. I have my time now, Keith. You have to get that, this isn't about hurting you or not knowing how you feel. I'm going by how Allura feels._

_Lance _

Allura wiped the tears off her face, the date on the email bring her back to those first kisses on the shuttle back to Arus, and how simple it had all felt, how simple it had always felt. She'd known then, she knew then she loved him. A sob took over her throat and she rode the wave of it, and gripped the blanket on the cot she was sitting on, to help keep her grounding, to try to stop herself from crying to hard.

"Pull up the video feed on the that computer, now," Kyla shouted running into the tent, with Xan and Keith right on her heels, she was holding her barely working audio. "Something is happening at the Castle."

Allura followed the order, pulled up a video feed of Live Streaming of Xios Castle. The viewport windows appeared on the screen and Allura gasped. What she saw couldn't be possible. Red Lion, running into the sky toward the windows for a brief moment. Allura heard its growl and even felt the Lion's growl in her bones. "It can't..." Her eyes refocused and saw that it was only a crude metal ship in the air, it was coming down for a landing right outside the viewpoint windows.

The camera angle changed and Finley Granger, was running out right behind Alliance Soldiers, Prince Seth, Sky Marshall Wade and Senator Heather Barnburnt. The hatch opened and Lance climbed but he yelled. "Everyone, stand back, get back, it's going to blow!" He started pushing at Wade and Seth, he shouted right at Finely and her camera. "Hurry, it's down to fifteen seconds, TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE."

By shouting the countdown he'd gotten everyone out of the way and the ship exploded into fiery little pieces that fell around the crowd and into the snow, Lance watched it all fall. Then he looked around the crowd, stood up on his toes, you could hear him shouting "Allura," into the crowd a few times. Then Lance was caught on camera asking Wade directly. "Where is my girlfriend?"

Allura blushed and grinned at the words. She watched as Finley Granger saw her self a moment to put Sky Marshall Wade on the spot, all the media had wanted to put him on all day. "Commander Larkin! Princess Allura was kidnapped for a ransom of raw unprocessed Falling Stones. Sky Marshall Wade and Prince Seth have not responded to the kidnappers. Maybe they'd like to explain why now?" she shoved her microphone into Wade's face.

"What the hell, Wade? You give him a fucking stone!" Lance shouted.

"Commander Larkin it is..." Wade started to say but was cut off by Senator Barnburnt.

"Prince Seth and Sky Marshall Wade are claiming they don't have any unprocessed stones, Commander Larkin," Senator Barnburnt told Lance. "And they are refusing to work with me on finding a compromise to present to the man named Xan responsible for taking Princess Allura."

"That is because Xan does not compromise, Senator," Prince Seth spat out at her.

"Wait, Falling Stones, right?" Lance said. "I remember hearing stories about them from one of your servants Prince Seth. How you don't know where you can mine more. Where I crashed, full of them. I brought a handful back. All we need is one of these to get Allura back?" He opened his palm to show off five unprocessed stones. "I'll make the exchanged myself. She better be unharmed, Wade, you should have already be asking them for other ideas of what they might be willing exchange her for."

"I think you handling the exchange is a very good idea, Commander. Also I want to mention a few other things to you." Senator Barnburnt said and she grabbed Lance and moved him away from the cameras.

"But what about the ship, where did it come from, Commander Larking that isn't what you crashed in, what just happened here?" Finley Granger and her other media peers started yelling, seeing that they were about to lose their moment.

"Wade are you coming," Senator Barnburnt yelled back toward the Sky Marshall and Prince Seth.

Kyla closed the computer lid down, closing the scene. "Did you see all those stones," she said to Prince Xan. "Where did he get them all?"

Keith sat down next to her on the bed. "The ship, that ship, it looked like..."

"Red Lion," Allura nodded. "You saw that too?"

"I felt it," Keith said.

Allura smiled at Keith. "I felt it too, heard it even. I don't understand it." She felt light again, whole again. Lance had been in one piece, he'd been wholly himself on the screen, in Wade's face, demanding, in control. Cocky. Her Lance. He was okay and he was coming to 'save' her and implement his piece in the puzzle, his reason for being Xios. The reason her father had told her they had to be on Xios.

"I'm so happy!" she said to Keith and threw her arms around him in a hug. "Please, try to be happy with me."

"Let's just focus on helping Xan show the people of Xios and the Alliance that he is the rightful heir." Keith said, extricating himself from her arms, and standing up.

Allura frowned but she nodded. "Keith, I..." she stopped there was nothing she could say to him to help him through this, she'd hurt him and all she could do was give him time.

~~~~.~~~~

Lance was getting impatient. He wanted to get this over with, he needed to play his role as the good alliance soldier and get that over with, so he could focus on the role he really wanted to play. Good boyfriend, worried boyfriend, confused boyfriend, scared out of his mind he was no longer the boyfriend, boyfriend.

Queen Flavia walked into the room they'd stuck him after he'd been checked out by a doctor. Bad concussion was his diagnosis, he could have told them that, he thought. She handed a glass of water, "I was told that you keep barking at people that you want to join the meeting."

"I want to get to Allura," he said, taking the water, happy to see Queen Flavia, he liked her a lot, ever since meeting her. She wasn't formal, she was earthy, she cared, and she was sharp. Lance just felt that she could be trusted.

"In time. Coran lands in twenty minutes, Senator Barnburnt is making sure that the other high ranking Galaxy Alliance members here at the Castle are part of the meeting. There is something about the Falling Stones that we all need to hear, before you go in to exchange Allura for what you have. You still have them, you didn't get them to that prince or to Sky Marshall Wade did you?"

"No, I kept them, their mine after all. You don't like Wade much do you Queen Flavia?" he asked, noting the sharp edge she'd used on Wade's name. It made him want to get a sense of what she picking up, why it was she didn't trust.

"No, I don't. There is just...he bugs me."

"Yeah, he bugs me too," Lance said.

Queen Flavia nodded at him and she smiled. "I've picked up on that, he bothers you, Allura and Coran. But all of you pretend he doesn't. I'm sure it goes back to how you lost Voltron, how your commander went underground. I won't pretend to understand. But, I do hope you and Allura know I'm in your corner?"

"I'll let her know," Lance said with a smile.

"Speaking of Voltron, Lance, uh, I could have sworn when I first saw you in the sky coming back you were in your Red Lion?"

"Really? Huh, why would you have seen that?" Lance asked, genuinely surprised by the revelation. He wondered what it meant she had seen it? That she was a friend? That she may hold future answers? It could be anything? Or nothing at all, he thought. It seemed to him that not just anyone would see the lion where there was no lion, unless there was a reason.

Queen Flavia shook her head. "I've been known to see things occasionally, usually future things, nothing concrete mind you. Though usually its on my own planet, after I've had a bit too much of Paxial's Gingee tea, it has odd medicinal side effects, or ancients used to it see the future and the past, always trying to understand the present. Instead of just living in the present."

"I don't know what to say, though living in the present is good advice," he said.

"Where did that ship come from?" she asked and he saw her real curiousity. He wasn't sure how he was going to get away with not answering the question at all every time he was asked. Maybe if he went with the truth they'd just stop asking? With Queen Flavia though he decided to go with a wink and a smile.

"You'd never believe me, Queen Flavia." He winked at her and then he took a sip of the water he had. "Thank you for the water by the way."

"You don't seem all that worried about Allura?" was her next question.

He gave her a long look, he was worried about Allura, just not in the ways Queen Flavia expected. He knew she was safe, perfectly safe. What he didn't know was if Keith had captured body, heart and soul or just in body. "I'll seem worried enough soon enough, it's all good, Queen Flavia."

Queen Flavia nodded. "I trust in you then."

"I like hearing that," Lance said.

The door opened then and Pidge, Hunk and Coran walked in. Coran stopped short seeing Queen Flavia. "Uh, Queen Flavia."

"Coran," She smiled and walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "It is lovely, so lovely, to see you again. Except of course for the circumstances. I'll see you shortly in Wade's office, I'll leave you to catch up with Commander Larkin."

"See you soon, Queen Flavia," Lance called out. "I like her Coran, seriously you should go for it."

"Is that what it is called?" Coran muttered. "When one steps out of his place, Lance, we will be having a very long talk but now is not the time. Please tell me that Allura has not really been kidnapped?"

"She's with Keith, geesh, Pidge didn't you tell him?"

"I did, but he's being really distrusting," Pidge said. "And Keith isn't answering his emails, or his voltcom and Allura's is offline."

Lance stood up, a bit too fast making him grab onto Hunk, who as he gripped onto his thick arm he looked at and groaned. "Tell me, please tell me my cadets - Thrace is not..."

"DeRosa agreed to cover for the classes when Coran requested me," Hunk said.

Lance sighed in relief. "Thank god, good hands."

"Pidge please try to bring up Keith again before we head into the meeting, with her voltcom off I am worried."

Lance nodded. "Yeah, what's with that, she promised me not to take it off."

Pidge opened his voltcom. "Keith, Keith, it's Pidge, will you come in. I'm on Xios?"

"What? Can't you take a hint Pidge, want to be alone." Keith's voice barked into the air.

"To bad, Keith, some of us want to know if Allura is okay," Lance barked back because even if he had an idea why Keith might be upset, the guy usually had a brain.

"Then ask her your damn self Lance."

"Her voltcom is offline, what's wrong with it?" Pidge asked.

Silence.

"Keith?" Pidge asked after 30 seconds.

"I confiscated it. I forgot. She kept trying to go after Lance, the only way to stop her was to hide the keys and her voltcom."

"That's my girl," Lance said, mostly to himself, then he hoped Keith hadn't heard it, when Pidge and Hunk sent him 'watch it' looks.

"She's fine, when you coming to get her?"

"Don't know yet, but the Alliance is already scrambling around Wade, so he's in a corner, plan is working like a charm. Good one, by the way." Lance said.

"Whatever, I'm out," Keith said, static burst out.

"Awkward," Hunk muttered, looking at Lance.

Pidge nodded.

"He'll feel better when he hits me."

"You mean beats you to an inch of your life?" Hunk and Pidge asked in unison.

"What are you three talking about?"

"Keith's always been in love with Allura and..." They all said then trailed off pointing to Lance - well Hunk and Pidge pointed to him, he pointed at himself.

Coran rubbed the bridge of his nose. "One problem at a time. Then we can deal with Allura and Lance, and Keith killing Lance."

"What nothing about Keith staying in his place?" Lance muttered.

"He obviously did, since I had no clue he had feelings for Princess Allura," Coran muttered as they left the room. "You were the one Nanny was always taking out of her room by the ear."

"Hey, then we were just talking," Lance laughed, but inside he was worried. Keith sounded pissed, no he sounded more than pissed, it was cold, empty almost, what if he hated Lance and there was no room for forgiveness. Lance wouldn't regret Allura, he couldn't regret it, he loved her. But he didn't want to lose Keith, he knew that, he'd always known that. Keith was his family. He'd know soon enough, he thought, he breathed in and out and decided to focus on the plan. Focus on giving Xios it's rightful leader in Prince Xan. He sure hoped the guy was worth everything he and Allura were doing.


	40. Chapter 40

**note: sorry for no chapter yesterday, and a late chapter today. **

~~~~40~~~~

Lance didn't take a seat in the room where everyone met, Senator Barnburnt, played the ransom demand. Allura stood a few steps back, but more or less in between Prince Xan and Keith, Keith was holding onto her by the arm. Senator Barnburnt was precise in her language in catching everyone up to what had happened.

"They meant to use Lance's flight as a distraction, the crash was lucky for them, they go in and out with Princess Allura almost without anybody realizing it. We aren't sure why Keith Quinn has joined Xan in his war, but nonetheless he has, but because of this we are fairly sure that Princess Allura will not be harmed. As you heard, the only thing Xan requested was the raw unprocessed falling stones."

Everyone else spoke at once, the other Alliance members confused as to why that is was all he would ask for, why the exchanged at not already been made, they were all looking toward Sky Marshall Wade, rather than Senator Barnburnt. Coran was the last to speak.

"Sky Marshall Wade, why have you not asked Prince Seth to give this man the stones he's requested."

"We did not have them in our possession, until Commander Larkin's return that is," Sky Marshall Wade said. "Where did you find them, Commander, I'd like that report now."

Lance stayed where he was leaning against the wall. "I think that can wait until after we rescue Allura, don't you?"

"No, I don't. We are Xios, the Falling Stones were their trade, their main source of electricity and technology, you flew an one of their old ships back here, then it exploded? You have raw unprocessed stones, something that hasn't been seen or heard from in decades. Prince Seth deserves an explanation."

Lance took in the new information so that is what that ship was, that gave him the perfect lie then. No need to fudge the truth, or bend it, he could just outright tell a story and keep the truth from Seth and Wade, and look good doing it. "I fell through into the center of the mountain I crashed on, inside there was an old mine, the stones, the ship. Took me awhile to get the ship to work and when I did the self-destruct kicked in, barely gave me enough time to get back here. That's all. I grabbed the stones because I wanted to show them to Zora, the maid for my and Allura's room - she told us a few interesting old stories about them. Thought she'd like to see them."

"Yes, I've heard old stories about the stones too, which is another reason we haven't exchanged what Lance has brought us for Allura yet," Senator Barnburnt said. "Wade, Prince Seth, I do think Lance answered your questions?"

The both nodded, though they were frowning.

Lance studied Wade's face, as usually he couldn't get much of a read on him.

"What about the stones, what stories?" Coran asked, looking confused, and the other Alliance members not in the know followed suit.

Senator Barnburnt, along with Queen Flavia told the legand about the Falling Stones and how it in the past of Xios had always chosen the King, the true leader of Xios would set the stone aflame simply by touch. The belief was Xan wanted them to possibly prove he could accomplish such a feat.

Prince Seth laughed, "It's a myth, it's not true."

Lance threw a stone at him, Seth caught it on reflex in his bare hand. "Well, better hope so for your sake, Prince."

Wade cleared his throat. "Lance, stop being insubordinate. We shall make the exchange for Allura, go along with Xan and his ridiculous requests to ensure her safety. Her safety is paramount of course, Coran," he bowed slightly to Coran.

"Xan, requested that only one person go, and that it be you, Commander Larkin. So well, go, if you can manage it, try to arrest Quinn. But if it gets in the way of safely returning the Princess I understand," Wade grumbled.

"Should we really be sending Larkin," a man stood up, a King of a planet Lance couldn't quite remember the name of. "No offense, Commander, but you are dating her. You were once teammates with Keith Quinn, wouldn't his emotions get in his way?"

Wade laughed. "You would think, wouldn't you, but I've found with Lance that the more emotional he gets the more likely he is to succeed. Carry on, Commander."

Lance wasn't sure if should feel complimented or insulted, of course it came down to the fact they weren't sure if Wade liked him because Wade thought he was someone he could manipulate and use for his own gain, or because he was one of the few Wade had around him who were good at their jobs. Lance shook his head, he heard footsteps behind them, years of experience telling him they were Hunk and Pidge. "Thought we'd walk with you down to the garage. You know the meeting point? You sure you shouldn't rest up a bit longer, the doctor didn't want you let you go, you know?"

"It's just a concussion, had them before, fought with them before," Lance said.

Hunk grunted. "Just you know, be careful, we don't even know if this Xan guy is any better than Seth. Though I guess if Keith likes him he must be."

"Keith likes him he's a good guy," Lance said sliding his key code into the door and then waiting for Pidge and Hunk to walk in ahead of them. Pidge's eyes opened wide, "Wow, so that's how the electricity works," he muttered, looking at the lights on the walls, taking in the distinctive shine. "Lance, is that really what happened in the mountain, with the ship?"

"Hell, no, you were talking to me. Alfor had me put the crashed one in the lava, that one came out, cool as a cucumber. Then it did the Mission Impossible explode thing when my flight back was over. Also I swear it was Red Lion when I saw it - what's more is Queen Flavia told me she saw Red too."

"Okay, yeah cause Hunk, Coran and I saw Red Lion for a bit too, so?" Pidge shrugged. "It was weird. Queen Flavia? Really, wonder why that is?"

"Don't know, but she's a special lady, you two should get to know her. Don't let Coran act like he's not good enough too, okay? She's like Allura, she doesn't care about titles."

They nodded, Lance hopped the terrain vehicle two alliance mechanics had waved him over too. Pidge and Hunk waved them off and started to look it over, scanning it with their own, specially upgraded, equipment. "Freaking homing signal," Hunk muttered, carefully pulling it off when no one was looking.

Pidge started to tighten something but he looked up at Lance. "You and Allura? Uh, you really?"

"I love her," Lance said looking right at Pidge, then he gave Hunk the same direct gaze. "I do."

Hunk and Pidge nodded.

"Does she?" Hunk asked.

Lance looked down, started the vehicle. "You two done yet?"

"Yeah," they said.

"I don't know, really try not to think about it. Find out soon enough," Lance shifted into reverse and moved out backwards in high speed, keeping his sight still on Pidge and Hunk.

The two of them waved and yelled good luck, Lance nodded and tried not to think about what exactly was going to burst into flames when he, Keith and Allura all stood together in the same space at the same time. He'd seen Keith not that long ago but his entire life had changed, Allura was his life, this was it. It was going to be messy.

~~~~.~~~~

Keith heard it first, another terrain vehicle coming toward the campsite. Xan, Kyla and the other soldiers all pulled out their blasters. Keith just stepped forward and watched. He saw the flag go up, the Galaxy Alliance flag of surrender, they'd asked for Commander Larkin to use when he arrived to exchange the stones for Allura.

"It's Lance," he said.

Kyla's weapon went immediately down, Xan's following hers. Keith gritted his teeth, because as soon as Xan's weapon hit his holster the other soldiers followed suit, and Keith was grateful it meant Lance was safe. Yet the part of him that was still in a full on rage at Lance was angry they trusted Lance so much on just the word alone of Zora, Allura and himself.

Lance stopped short of the fire the three of them were standing at and hopped down. He walked up to Xan and bowed. "Prince Xan, I'm a big fan... of your grandmother," he said at his sardonic best. His voice, his presence was starting to make Keith's temperature rise.

He wasn't a far off target any longer, Keith was looking at the man who had lain with Allura, touched Allura, he was looking at the hands that Keith had seen wrapped possessively around Allura's waist.

Xan's mouth twitched in response to Lance's personality, of course Keith thought, Xan wasn't that much different than Lance in some ways. "Thank you, I wish I had the honor of speaking with her myself."

"Soon, I think you will," Lance pushed his hand into his pocket and then held it out. One shiny unprocessed Falling Stone shined in the palm of it. "I have more, so if you just want to test it?"

How dare Lance, test this man that Keith was vouching for. Distrust him, Lance's first instincts were always to distrust and it wasn't always warranted. "You don't need to test him, Lance."

"Don't I?" Lance said. "I tested Seth, I'm testing him. Since when do you just blindly trust anyway?" Lance said, looking at him.

Keith glared, he knew how to read people just fine. Maybe he was looking for a reason to start a fight with Lance, Keith could admit that, looking right into Lance's eyes wasn't helping him ignore the urge. Lance was supposed to the one guy he could trust and what had happened. He'd broken that trust completely.

Lance in his normal hotheaded way held his gaze, his expression brazen and honest. It said, yeah I screwed up, I know it and I'm not sorry.

"Keith it's fine," Xan said. "I just, uh, it hurts," he muttered, about to reach out.

Lance moved his hand out of his reach. "What do you mean?"

"He means, Lance, that when something bursts into flame in your hand it tends to burn," Keith deadpanned.

"Oh, I just thought, I saw some magic earlier, figured, magic stones, no burn, how was I to know it would be all logical and hurt the guy?" Lance pocketed the stone. "I'll take your word for it for now, Xan. We'll just do it the once while recording it then. Where is Allura?" he looked around.

"Sleeping," Keith said. "Not going to wake up her either, she needs sleep, she's been through a lot."

"Really, Keith, you think?" Lance said, his voice at its most sarcastic.

Keith's sword sprung out, that was it, that was the last straw, he couldn't take it any more. He was going to hurt him.

"Keith?" Xan said, stepping forward his hand out ready to grab his right wrist.

"Xan, this is really not any of your concern," Keith spat out.

"Xan," Kyla said. "Come on, we should leave them to duel over their woman,"

"She doesn't belong to either one of us," Lance said, staring right back at Keith his fists up and ready.

Keith saw out his periphery Kyla raise a brow at Lance, a sign she liked what he said and it made him madder. "Nonetheless, we'll leave you two be."

Keith walked around the fire that was between them, getting closer to Lance, letting all the anger, pain and betrayal finally rise to the surface and boil over. No more holding back. He lunged forward, sword up over his head ready to strike.

It hit a red shield Lance formed at the last second with his left hand, and he was punched in the side hard, fast and with what felt like fire by Lance's right. "Keith, look I know I betrayed you, but..."

"But?" Keith yelled, dropping the sword. "I trusted you with her, I thought you understood. You looked me in the eye less than a month ago and told me to reach out to her," he watched Lance carefully, saw the voltcom weapons go offline. Lance held a ready defensive stance however, but he wasn't steady on his feet, his balance was off, Keith tried not to smirk and tackled him.

~~~~.~~~~

"Allura?"

Allura woke with a start, she sat up, thinking she had just heard Pidge's voice.

"Allura?"

It was Pidge's voice, her voltcom was on top of Keith's computer, she reached out and grabbed it. "Pidge, hello."

"Lance there yet?"

Allura jumped up, fitting the voltcom to her forearm, touching her hair. "I don't know, how long ago did he leave. Where is Keith, I hope he isn't trying to kill him," she nervously babbled out.

"That's the thing, Lance has a pretty bad concussion..."

Allura froze, she ran out of the tent. Keith and Lance were fighting, hand to hand, blow to blow, on the ground, almost in the fire pit and Keith definitely had the upper hand. She watched in horror as Keith fist clocked Lance in the jaw and Lance stumbled backward, eyes rolling up and she was sure he was about to fall to the ground but somehow he didn't.

"She makes her own decisions," Lance said instead, somehow keeping his balance.

"You weren't supposed to be a choice," Keith yelled before going in to hit him again.

Allura winced but Lance managed to dodge it, but he stumbled and Keith took advantage and was about to kick Lance's feet out on him when she yelled. "Stop it! Stop it right now."

He froze, Lance looked over Keith's shoulder and grinned, he just grinned at her and she melted inside, feeling like running to him and simultaneously yelling at him for fighting with a concussion. Keith let go of Lance's uniform collar and Lance fell into the snow, making her wince and she ran over to him. But not before shouting at Keith.

"He has a concussion!" she fell into the snow. "you have a concussion, what are you doing?"

"He didn't exactly ask me if I was up to a fight about you, you know?" Lance said, putting his hands on her face. "You look beautiful."

"I'm a mess," she muttered, grabbing his arms and helping him up. "All your bruises had just faded," she said, touching his cheek.

"I'm going to vomit," Keith said.

Allura spun on him. "Shut it, you're acting like a child. I thought you were a better man than this. He's hurt, it was obvious in how he was fighting, even if Pidge hadn't told me he had a concussion I would have known something was wrong. You're just too angry to see it," turning back to Lance, she strengthened the grip she had on his hand. "Let's go inside."

"Anything you want, Baby," Lance said.

Allura felt tears pricking her eyes, he'd had no idea, no idea how much she'd missed that, missed everything, missed his hand, his face, his grin, his voice. She squeezed his hand, looked over her shoulder. "That means you too, Keith," she said, her voice sounding royal against her will as it usually did in times like this. There would be time to be alone with Lance, they had time, what needed to be dealt with now was them, Lance and Keith, her, Lance and Keith. They were a unit, they were a family, the two of them were brothers. She was going to fight for them to be close again as much as she fought for anything else.

At the least they had to get Keith not to look at Lance like he wasn't to squeeze the life out of him. Some basic rage and not murderous, it might be a start, she thought as she eyed Keith, sending a deathray glare at Lance, as well as their joined hands as they walked into the tent.

Inside she guided Lance toward the heater, and sat him down on the stool, grabbed his face and looked into his eyes and tried to focus on his dilation, rather than the exact shade of his irises, the green, with the amber and gold flecks or the way he was looking back her, staring right into her, drinking her in like he hadn't seen her in weeks. Like he felt the same way she did, that they'd been separated for far too long. Only she doubted he'd been as terrified as she'd been, he'd never had reason to doubt her life. "If you have a concussion why are you here?"

"Alliance didn't want to wait any loner to get you back, I agreed. It's just a concussion, Allura."

"Just shot, just a cliff, just a broken nose, just a concussion, just fighting Keith. I'm just a big bruise, it's no big deal, Baby," she rolled her eyes, then she kissed him quickly before plastering herself on him almost hard enough to knock him off the stool. "I thought you were dead," she cried.

"I'm right here," Lance whispered. "And I'm fine, your father saved me."

"Father?" Allura said. "Is that why we saw the Red Lion?"

Lance pulled back, extricating himself from her hug a bit to look her in the eyes. "You and Keith? You saw Red?"

"Yes," Allura said.

"Keith?" he asked, looking at him.

Allura never knew what to call it when he did things like this, before she thought it was just reckless, a weird way of risk tasking, to open his mouth when he shouldn't, look people in the eye who he should avoid. She knew now it wasn't about purposely seeking out trouble - at least not always - it was a fundamental part of who he was, he just couldn't stay quiet, he couldn't not ask a question even if that person might not want to answer him. Especially when the answers were more important than him, the situations mattered more than people involved.

"Saw the lion, then the ship. What do you mean about King Alfor?"

"He made me crash. Which is the only reason I didn't keep my ejection promise, Allura," Lance explained.

Allura nodded.

"Then I was in a volcano, the stones they are volcanic, they're connected to Red Lion. It's a long story, but he had me put the crashed ship in the lava then there was some story about the stones recognizing me as the owner of Red Lion and giving me the temporary gift of the ship I flew back with. When I got up in the air with the X Fighter it flew like Red only in a ship that couldn't handle the power." Lance directed most of his information toward Keith.

Keith, Allura noticed was still by the entrance of the tent. He stood there alternating between glaring at them, or rather Lance, then the floor. As Lance finished his words he started to pace. "So the falling stones, the stones that for centuries possibly longer have chosen the leader of this planet until Seth's ancestors decided to take matters into their own hands - are connected to Voltron. And Wade, Wade has been connected to this planet since he was a kid."

"No concrete proof, but proves our suspicions. At least to us," Lance said.

Keith continued to pacing, looking at the floor. "We can't prove anything, at all, can we."

Lance sighed. "Wade's not stupid. I have another question, did Xan or Kyla see Red Lion?"

"No," Allura said her attention snapping back to Lance, her free hand flying to the blooming bruise on his jaw. "Why?"

"Queen Flavia saw Red, when I first showed up, like you, like Hunk, Pidge and Coran. I was just."

"Who is Queen Flavia?"

"A wonderful woman," Allura said. "She's an amazing woman, she's the Queen of a new planet in the Alliance. It's just outside this quadrant, this sector of space. Why she's here I'm sure, why I'm afraid Seth might ask Bronwen."

"Bronwen has Flavia's good sense, I'm sure," Lance said.

"We can hope."

"He's not going to be the King anyway, Allura," Lance said.

"Let's hope so," Allura said.

"We should get that recording done," Keith said.

"Not yet," Allura said, straightening up from where she was still bent over Lance. "You two need to talk. Talk," she glanced at Lance and saw in his face and expression he was all over it, the talking idea. He was going to try. "To try not to be too antagonistic," she whispered.

He nodded.

She let go of him, with a lot of inner turmoil, a part of her wanted to stay plastered to his side for the foreseeable future. As ridiculous as it sounded but she never wanted to feel the terror and emptiness she had felt when she thought Lance might be dead again. She did know one thing for certain, he was going to know she loved him and he was going to hear to often. It wasn't something she would ever take for granted that he knew or understood - not with the lives they led.

She walked passed Keith and grabbed his hand in hers, making him look at her. Meeting his eyes, she saw the hate for Lance soften to the painful hurt expression he'd held ever since their last conversation. She hated it but she hoped and prayed he just needed time. "We're a family Keith, an odd one but a family. A team, friends. We need to get along and we need to trust each other to have each other's backs. Please talk...and listen. And remember, I made my choice."

As she said the last words, she couldn't help but look back at Lance, their gazes lock and she smiled. She saw his eyes widen then, this jolt go through him and him suddenly realize she'd chosen him over Keith. His smile at the revelation was stunning, then his immediate attempt to not smile in deference to Keith was dorky and adorable. But Allura had to hold in her sigh and check her eyeroll, had he really not gotten that with her running to him, fussing over him, and crying over him? That man.

"Talk and listen," she said again before stepping outside of the tent and forcing herself to walk out of earshot.


	41. Chapter 41

~~~~41~~~~

Lance felt dazed. He couldn't stop his mouth from curling upwards, no matter how hard he tried not too physically react to the fact that it just hit him square in the gut that Allura had chosen him. Him out of all possibilities she had, over Keith, she'd picked him? Bit the inside of his cheek, to try to stop himself from smiling but it wasn't going to be enough. He shook his head, he heard her orders, but was serious? He'd just gotten it, and she was leaving him alone with Keith while it was hitting him?

He held up his hand, waved it at Keith and muttered. "Hold on, I'll be back," he muttered and he raced after Allura.

Allura wasn't too far away, he caught up with her in a couple of strides, he grabbed her by the arm. She turned into his touch, her mouth curving into a smile when she saw him. Lance grabbed her face between his hands, and shook his own head but he knew he was smiling like a goofball, he felt like a goofball. "Really?"

Allura rolled her eyes but then her hands came up and grabbed his wrists and she squeezed hard in her grip and her expression grew hard and serious. "You don't know what happened to me when I saw the X Fighter start to fall apart," she whispered, her voice nearly giving out at just the memory. "I love you," she said. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize it before you left, I should've known. It's so simple. I love you, so much."

It was too much to verbally react to for Lance. Allura holding onto his wrists writs tight enough to tell him, she didn't want to let go, her blue eyes shining nothing but love at him, giving him her entire heart. He swallowed, he bent down and kissed her.

When they pulled apart, he laughed, he was too happy not too. He dropped his hands from her face, pulled her into him into a tight hug, then tangled his hands into her hair, pushing it away from her right ear. "I love you, too," he whispered into her ear.

She grinned into his neck, then kissed his skin there, then his jaw, then his lips, then she pulled back. "You have to talk to him," she said. "I don't think, we can't...I don't know what else to do?" she whispered, her eyes darting behind Lance toward the tent where they'd both left Keith behind.

Lance felt the balloon pop, he was still walking on air, but not he could control it - to a point anyway, for the moment - enough to deal with Keith. Allura was right, they couldn't afford for the three of them not to be able to count on each other. Specifically for Keith not be able to count on him, Lance thought, or think he couldn't. Or for him, not be able to count on Keith. Lance knew he could count on Keith to be there for Allura, always. Forever. But for him? That was the challenge.

There was more going on than just Allura too. For the both of them, Lance knew that, Keith did too. Lance sighed. From the start he hadn't want to lose Keith. He'd never wanted to lose his best friend.

"I'm going back in," he said.

"I'll find Xan, we'll be ready to record everything when you and Keith finish. I'll be keeping my ear out," Allura said and they started to break away, for Allura to reach back up and touch his face. "No more fighting, not with your head, okay?"

Lance nodded, his head didn't really nod with him, he was beginning to wonder if it ever would again. "I won't, I promise."

Allura frowned. "Well, don't let him just pommel you either."

He winked at her. "Never, Baby."

She smiled and then they really parted.

Lance turned, took in a few focusing breaths, told himself he could face Keith, he could handle this. He wasn't going to lose his best friend, just because he'd somehow won the girl. He and Keith were part of something much bigger than romance, anyway, they were trying to ensure that the Galaxy remained protected and at peace.

He walked back into the tent.

Keith was still standing where he'd been, not that far from the entrance, Lance winced, thinking he'd probably been able to hear everything he and Allura had said. Had done.

"Hey," Lance said, not sure how else to start one hell of a hard and awkward conversation.

Keith eyed him, his dark eyes seeming to look through Lance instead of at him. Keith shook his head and looked down at the ground. "She loves you, huh?"

Lance tried to stop the smile but it was automatic. "Uh, yeah, she's apparently, crazy."

Keith nodded. "Told me that too once."

"Actually, way I heard it, she yelled it at you. More a 'I've loved you for years now, are we ever going to talk about this, Keith,' moment?"

Keith shrugged.

"So were you?" Lance asked.

"No. I wasn't. But I was changing mind about that thanks to you. Your speech on Lyra: talk to her Keith, let her know what's up. What the hell was all that about, Lance if you were just going to go move in on her?"

Crap, Lance thought, he ran his hands through his hair. "I was honestly, letting you know what I thought she wanted you to know at the time?" He said, trying to think back. "I was...it was. I was confused, it was. There was this attraction thing happening, and it was really throwing me, Keith. Because I mean, she's Allura and she's beautiful, and she's amazing. And I spent years doing my fucking damnedest not to fall for her because you - you had her. She wanted you and I was just Lance, the buddy. Not that I really did a good job, when I think about it," he admitted.

"What so now you've loved her all along?" Keith spat out.

"Is that so crazy to you, Keith? Because that'd be hypocritical?"

"You never said anything, you slept with any girl who looked at you twice."

"That's an exaggeration," Lance said. "And yeah, what was I going to say. Hey, Keith, you know that Princess that gives you the big moon-eyes that you give the moon-eyes back too when you think she's not looking. I'm kind falling for her too? When was that conversation going to happen? Because I don't recall you ever telling me about Allura in first place."

Keith kicked the stool over, it rolled into the heater.

"It was clear who she wanted."

"Guess that changed," Keith muttered.

"Yeah, it did," Lance said and he studied Keith. Keith was standing straight, tight, avoiding looking him in the eye, looking at the walls of the tent, the floor, pacing to help avoid looking at him. They weren't getting anywhere. "I sent you an email the second it happened," he said.

"Allura read it, I didn't," Keith said. "At least, I'm assuming that must be the one she read. She opened one of your emails, it was the first one. I haven't opened them."

Lance eyed the computer, he thought about the fact their were emails from him on it. "Didn't delete them, either."

Keith laughed, it was dark, bitter. "I keep giving a fucking damn about you. It's like a bad habit," he turned then and looked right at Lance.

Lance held his gaze.

"I was in that damn dining hall. You and Allura walked in, late. All over each other. Wanted to kill you and then you go off on Wade about why you shouldn't fly. And I wanted to speak up, tell them to listen to your gut," Keith shook his head. "Then I told myself you were just being a bastard to Wade."

"Yeah, I wish."

"Then it does start to fall to pieces..." Keith looked away again. "I froze for a few seconds, Xan started to implement his plan, but I froze, standing there, next to Allura. She didn't even know it, watching you fly at damn ship that was blazing apart on you. Good flying by the way, how the hell did you keep it up so long?"

"It flew like Red, so diverted the power to the back thrusters, that was where most of the shear was pulling the damn thing apart anyway. Then Alfor was pulling strings I think."

"Huh," Keith muttered. "How did you explain the ship you came back in?

"Yeah, about that, turns out it was an old model Xiosian craft, all I had do was lie that found it and got it running, self-destruct turned on."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Only you, Lance, that shit doesn't happen to anyone else. You, it does, it works, and no one questions it."

"Well, who else would find a classic and then explode it. Me. The screw up," Lance said.

Keith stared.

Lance held the gaze, he'd hold it as long as he had it, even though Keith definitely was still hating him.

"I don't, I don't forgive you."

"I don't expect it," Lance said.

"I'm still part of the team."

"Of course."

"You too."

"Duh."

"You, me, Allura, we...we have to be able to work together." Keith turned his back to Lance after he spoke.

"I can. She can. Keith," Lance said and he took a step closer to his friend and he wanted to reach out and touch his shoulder but he didn't dare.

"I'm angry. I don't forgive you," Keith said.

"I heard," Lance said.

"But I know Pidge, Hunk, Allura and you are all on the same road I am on. Finding Black Lion, and finding a way to discredit Wade with the Alliance," Keith sighed. "If that's possible."

"Don't give up on that, that guy can't be that smooth."

"He's smart."

"We have Pidge, we're smarter," Lance said.

"I trust you the least," Keith said.

"But you do a little bit, trust me, just a bit?" Lance said, deciding to take a slight risk. He had to test it out somewhat, he had to push or it just wouldn't be him and it wouldn't be him trying to make this work with Keith.

Keith spun around and glared him. "Don't make me regret this truce."

Lance grinned and held up his hands. "I was just making sure it was a truce. Sweet."

Keith sighed.

Lance cocked his head toward the entrance. "Come on Galaxy's Most Wanted, it's time we record Xan burning his hand, so I can show back up with Allura and the real Prince of Xios. Also, thanks for the bruises, I can tell Wade I tried to arrrest you at least."

Keith gave him the finger, but grabbed his computer then stalked out of the tent ahead of him. Lance yelled after Keith. "Keith, the language, the things you are learning while on the run. Just where are you eating your milk and cookies!"

Keith walked up to Allura. "I havent' forgiven him, I'm still angry at both of you, I don't totally trust him...but we're a team, and I'll put up with that crap," he said pointing his thumb at Lance who was right behind him smiling like a goof.

Lance winked at her.

She smiled and Lance watched her stop herself from kissing Keith's cheek and instead letting him go over to where Xan was standing to call him forward. He walked over to her and took her hand in his. "You okay?" he asked.

"I should be asking you, I know how much he means to you."

"I'll wear him down," Lance said, trying to sound lighthearted, he glanced over at her and he let his guard down. "It went better than I thought and I..." Lance's voice closed up on him and he kicked at the snow under his feet. "I really hate him not trusting me the way he used too, and the anger but it's going to take time."

"Can you be patient?"

Lance looked at her, she looked back at him. He sighed. "I can try," he mumbled.

She kissed his cheek.

"Allura," Keith called, "You need to be over here with Xan and Kyla. Lance get back up on snow bike, so when you hop off it looks like you just got here," he ordered.

"On it, Keith," they said in unison and followed his orders.


	42. Chapter 42

~~~~42~~~~

Prince Seth slammed the breaks of his snowbike, when his men stopped again in their tracking of that damnable man, Lance from the Alliance. He gritted his teeth, hopped off his bike and stalked up to the two trackers. This of course wouldn't be happening if the tracking device Wade promised him would work worked.

Seth had to stop Xan from touching that stone in front of Princess Allura and the commander. Xan probably had plans to film it and put it all over the interglaticweb. After decades of manipulations and lies, after years of his own sacrifices and fighting, he was on the throne. He was supposed to be King by now, planning a wedding to the Princess of Vexus - though he would have preferred Allura for her looks and the power her planet would have given him.

He wasn't going to let Xan finally stop now, because of some troublesome ex-soldier, that no-good insubordinate lout the Princess of Arus was dating and the Princess herself. Wade was of no help to him now, he was wiping his hands clean and was playing the good little Galaxy Alliance Military Leader card to a T. He was acting appalled he'd never known about the truth in the legend of the raw unprocessed falling stones. He pushing Seth to come to some compromise with the factions he was at civil war with - now that Xan's kidnapping had gotten the Alliance interests peaked. They were all over him, instead of just blindly accepting him as the rightful King to the planet.

Seth reached the men and punched the closest one in the jaw. "What is taking so long? Is it a clear day, what could be the issue with following his tracks?"

Graul stood straighter as his fellow soldier tried not to lose his balance from the punch. "Sir, that's just it, I think the commander, I think he doubled over his own tracks, looped around, doubled back, made it look like he went one way then another. It's been harder then I expected to really figure out the path he took. Could I, could I ask why we don't have the direct coordinates for the meeting?"

Seth hissed as he punched Graul. "Figure it out," he ordered and he stomped away, pulled up his own communicator and barked into it for Wade. He got some Alliance nobody at first - of course. He kicked the tire of his snow bike and looked around the damnable thick forests of Xios. The camp could be anywhere, he thought.

"I told you not to contact me while you were out?" Wade said, sounding bored on his end.

"The tracking device you promised me isn't working," Seth spat out.

"What?" Wade muttered. "Must be a glitch. Damn it, I do not want to lose this planets resource, hold on..."

Seth grinned, good at least he could count on Wade to be greedy and Wade loved the Falling Stones. Seth didn't know why and he didn't care. But Wade was entranced by them, probably knew more about them than the ancient Xiosian Scientists who used to spend their life studying them. Seth couldn't be bothered by such things, all he knew was they gave him the upper hand and he planned to keep them.

Wade barked out the coordinates.

"Should've just given them to me, Wade."

"No more contact," Wade said then all Seth heard was static. Seth shouted the coordinates to this soldiers, orders to go into the camps fast and shooting. He wanted everyone dead, no survivors.

"One last thing, Commander Larkin has those stones, we need to get them off of him. Warm or cold body doesn't matter," Seth said. "This is for the good of the Kingdom."

"The Kingdom," all his soldiers yelled in unison, as their ancestors had yelled before them when going into battle against the ancestors of Xan's family for centuries.

Seth grinned as he started up the snowbike, it was about to all change.

~~~~.~~~~

Wade paced his office. No one but the kid who'd walked into his office knew that Seth'd connected him via a communicator but still, it was just enough of a loose thread to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He'd always liked this little planet, with it's unending civil war, and like his father he'd had no qualms helping the bad guys horde the goods, make money off of it off world, and keep the planet in the dark ages.

It hadn't been until Voltron and his worries about the ancient technology that he'd ever put his younger self's interest in Xiosian Falling Stones together with the ancient robot's technology and gained a whole new level of interest in the planet, and ensuring he'd have it in his pocket forever.

Wade stood still, he breathed in through his nose, the Voltron Force were still a thorn in his side. Even under his very thumb they were causing him trouble, if he didn't watch his step they could expose him and what was worse the bumbling fools wouldn't even know how they did it.

It was Keith, Wade shook his head. He'd had plans for Keith after he'd discredited the robot, good plans. Keith was a natural leader, strong, brave. He could have used his moral fiber and his decency to his advantage. He'd have giving him a promotion in rank, given him a new team, and sent him on all vital missions for maintaining peace. It would have worked out perfectly, Commander Quinn would've been likely to succeed but if he hadn't, no loss.

But Keith had come here, why or how wasn't the point. He'd come here and he'd gone to Xan, and they'd taken Princess Allura while Wade, the guards, everyone was distracted. The very thing that would put an end to the fighting because it was steeped in legend and myth, an unprocessed stone, was what they asked for. At first Seth and Wade had been ecstatic, all the unprocessed stones in Seth's possession were found and mined on the moon of Xios. Not one was on the planet. It was a simple lie. Wade however didn't know what do about Allura.

Then everything hit the fan, Senator Barnburnt and Queen Flavia with her granddaughter came running in, while Ambassador Coran was on his way, all yelling and screaming about finding a compromise. Which Wade agreed with, he wasn't going to let Keith get his hooks into Princess Allura again, nor Xan have anything over Seth. Xan he knew wouldn't work with him and his work on this planet wasn't done, the flight had proved that...

Lance returned just then screwing everything up, causing such an uproar and in an old Xiosian model spacecraft. The very one that he himself had been trying to emulate with more modern upgrades.

Only? Wade had thought for brief moment when he'd first caught sight of the ship that he'd seen the Red Lion that Commander Larkin used to fly when he was with Voltron Force.

Lance had come back with the stones they needed to exchange for Princess Allura, now no more compromise needed. Everyone agreed they would accept all terms. Wade had to agree, but he Seth agreed privately that Seth would go out and attack the camp.

Wade didn't know why the tracking device on the snowbike wasn't working and he hated now that he'd been contacted by Seth prior to the attack. It was dangerous, it could blow his cover. He didn't have that luxury.

He sighed pulled up his communicator and called out for Barnburnt.

"Yes, Wade?" she asked her tone icy, as it had been for awhile.

"I think Prince Seth following Larkin to the campsite. If so my guess is he'll kill everyone. I believe I should lead a group in as well."

"Oh my God, Wade just hurry and stop him. We must try to work this out peacefully while our people are in the middle of it.!"

"I'm about to, just wanted to let you know to inform everyone else," Wade said before disconnecting. He rolled his eyes, he hated this, having to break his own smaller alliance with Seth for the greater Alliance he was part of but he needed to maintain his position. It gave him greater power. Galactic Power.

He walked out into the control room center he'd built for Seth and ordered the soldiers to report to the garage and get ready to roll out to the campsite to get ready to defend it from Prince Seth, with an eye on protecting Princess Allura and Commander Lance Larkin. Then he added another order. "If anyone sees Keith Quinn, arrest him, I want him alive."

"Yes, sir," they all said before taking off.

Wade then opened his communications again, and contacted the other two members of the Voltron Force on the planet. He wanted to see what their loyalties really were. He knew Lance could be trusted to go after Keith, to follow his orders, it was time to test them. He told them to meet him in the garage.

~~~~.~~~~

Hunk and Pidge nodded their thanks to the Alliance soldier who opened the door and let them through garage. They walked over to Wade and saluted, playing their roles. Neither one of them liked what they were hearing. "Sir," Hunk said. "If Seth's already out there, I think we should get moving fast?"

"We have speed on our side, Tech Sargent," Wade said pointing up, just as another electronic door slid open revealing the Galaxy Alliance Rogue ships. "We aren't taking mere snowbikes. You two are pilots are you not?"

"Yes," they both said.

"I want your top priority to be to find and arrest Keith Quinn, as well as to ensure Princess Allura and Commander Larkin's safety. I'm sure given the circumstances of your fall out with Keith, that would be something that is important to you. Saving your friends and finding your enemy."

"We are very concerned for our friends, sir," Pidge said.

"And seeing Keith get what he deserves, is high on my priority list," Hunk equivocated.

"Good, good," Wade said. "I'll be leading us in."

"Aye aye, sir," the whole group of Alliance soldiers said as they all rushed toward a ship.

Hunk scratched the back of his neck. "Sir, have the ships been tested to be flight ready?"

"They are in shape, Tech Sargent, just get in one and fly."

Pidge and Hunk shrugged, they headed for two separate ships, once inside Hunk called Pidge up on his voltcom. "This guy really only cares about his big picture, what do you think the odds are we're flying ships that have been hidden up there for the gods only know how long, because he's covering his own ass due to what Seth's doing?"

"Well, I could calculate the odds, to a very close estimation, however I don't feel need too because I'm pretty sure it'd be a waste of my time. He's 100% covering his own guilty ass and making sure the Alliance sees him doing the right thing."

"So, uh any plans on how to arrest Keith and not arrest Keith?"

"Uh, no. We should just go do what Lance would do."

"What's that?" Hunk asked as they both took off into the sky.

"Wing it."

"Oh."

~~~~.~~~~

Allura, Keith and Lance where all behind Lance's snowbike, shots from blasters flying out around them all, Lance and Allura occasionally popping up, using their voltcom weapons to shoot some cover, while Keith fought with his computer in the confusion to get the recording they'd just made of Xan. He'd taken a stone from the palm of Lance's hand in exchange for Allura. It'd burst into a large beautiful bright orange flame fire that slowly flickered out existence as it danced on the palm of Xan's hand. They'd gotten it all on digital record but then the snowbikes, and blaster shots had started.

The computer had falling to the ground, turning off the program. Keith had to bring back up, find the file and set up everything for sending it out again - all without Pidge on the line, because he wasn't answering him.

Lance fell back down next to Keith, he glanced at the computer. "I think you go to file c not d," he said.

Keith grumbled but tried the file Lance said and nodded, he then when to open the wireless port. Allura fell back down. "They have the whole camp surrounded, I've lost complete contact with Xan and Kyla."

"Kyla won't let anything happen to him," Keith muttered.

"What about her," Lance asked.

"Her duty is to protect him," Keith said. "She'll happily die for it."

Allura glanced ahead of them. "Those fighters over there are going to notice us any second, and Xan doesn't want anyone to die for him."

"Done," Keith said after pushing a button.

The three of them stood up, voltcom weapons ready, but all they heard behind them was laughter. They turned to see the back of Seth, Xan and Kyla were facing them their weapons drawn but their faces showed hesitation. Lance took three steps the left, so he could see more of the picture, Allura mirrored him on the other side. Keith stayed put, waiting for the intelligence gained by the two of them.

"Kid."

"Young girl," Allura added.

"Let her go."

"Just shoot him, Xan!" the girl yelled.

"Shut up, little bitch," Seth shouted, Lance felt sick when he saw him increase his chokehold on the teenager.

"Alla," Keith said.

Xan took a step closer. "Seth, let her go. She's not a fighter, she's just a kid."

"She's still my enemy isn't she."

"Seth let her go," Allura yelled.

Seth spun around then, his eyes landing on Allura. "Princess Allura, your still in one piece. No wounds, nothing," he said. "Xan, you are much too kind your victims."

"I don't treat people like they are toys Seth."

"Seth, let go of her," Allura said

"Oh, you feel this is the time to teach me manners about how to treat women again, Allura? Is that it?" Seth started to choke the little girl.

Allura stepped closer, Lance had his eyes on her, his eyes on Seth, his footsteps were still mirroring Allura's. Keith was in silent communication with Kyla, counting the soldiers that were with them and against them that were around the perimeter of the camp.

"Stop it," both Xan and Allura shouted.

"Now," Keith shouted.

Lance shot Seth in the back of his head with his magma pistol gun and Allura ran forward and grabbed Alla. Seth fell down dead in the ground. There was a long empty pause, then there was a shout from one of Seth's men.

"FOR THE KINGDOM!"

Then Kyla shouted. "FOR THE WELL-BEING OF XIOS!"

And the fight started again.


	43. Chapter 43

~~~~43~~~~

Keith ran to Allura and Alla, grabbing the teenager and charging toward where he knew her mother to be, the kitchen tent, Allura on his heels, firing away with her bow and arrow. Ducking inside, one of Xan's guards took over covering for them, while Alla ran to her mother's side.

"Thank you," she said to the both them while hugging her daughter to them. "It all happened so fast, they came out of nowhere it felt like."

"It's our honor," Allura said and she stepped back toward the entrance. Keith grabbed her arm. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Going back out there, they need all the help they can get," Allura said, looking at him like he was crazy.

"No. Stay here and stay safe, until this over and you can return to the castle with Lance and Xan."

Allura narrowed her eyes. "Keith, I do not run from battle. You of all people know that."

"That is not a battle out there. That is a group of ruthless killers angry we killed their leader, up against a group of terrorists who have been fighting to stay alive since they were born. It's too dangerous."

"And all the more reason to help Xan, Keith," Allura shouted back.

"I'll help, Xan."

Lance suddenly appeared between them, holding three blasters, "Shot Seth in the head again with this," he flipped one around in his hand, then he handed the other to Allura. "For when Alliance shows up, we can't be seen using the voltcoms. What's going on in here? I could kind of use the back up out there?"

"I'll back you up," Allura said.

"Good," Lance said.

"No," Keith said.

"What?" Lance said.

Allura groaned. "Keith is being stupid."

"What is up your ass now?" Lance snapped.

Keith stood there, hearing the shots and screams outside, his adrenaline was high and he just wanted to keep Allura safe. This was different than when they were in battle with the lions, with Voltron. She was protected by the metal, by bombs and shields, by the four of them flying four other state of the art magical machines. Out there, all she had was herself and her voltcom, and it didn't matter that he knew rationally she knew how to use it, that he knew rationally she knew martial arts. He'd never wanted to see her use it in practice, he'd agreed to teach her only as a last resort, if Lotor got too close, if he and the others couldn't help her.

"Lance, she's too important to endanger, I don't even think Xan should be out there but I'm not going to try to stop him."

"Then you shouldn't try to stop her either, she packs just as hard as a punch I'm sure," Lance snapped. "Get over the title Keith, you know Allura, think about it."

Lance then held his hand out to Allura. "Kyla and a few of her men need help, they've got themselves backed up, we'll go out the back entrance of this tent, and take out a few from behind."

Allura took his hand and nodded, then let him lead her through the crowd that had taken refuge in the kitchen tent. Keith watched them go, watched and remembered Allura always pushing her way past Nanny and Coran no matter what they said, her features set, her expression determined and always rising to the occasion and proving that their fears were unfounded.

Keith sighed and followed them out. Where Kyla was he was sure Xan wasn't that far behind, when he exited the tent, Xan fell down from a nearby tree next to him. "I told her not run into them, but they were shooting right at us and she wanted to pull the fire away from me, she took those two kids with her because currently they are the best she has that aren't wounded and still alive. We're out numbered Keith. I have more men, but at other camps, further away, I keep my people spread out for a reason, but right now it's feeling rather stupid."

Keith nodded, looking for where Allura and Lance had gone. Where were they? He caught sight of them, mirroring each other - they kept doing that - circling from different directions Seth's vindictive men. What were they planning, then Lance stopped short.

"Hey Bozos! I'm the one who killed that asshole leader of yours," Lance shouted. Then he had the balls to wave. "Hi," he said with a cheeky smile.

All the soldiers turned to look at him, they were basically in a straight line given the angle Lance had stopped moving at, when Keith let his eyes fall back towards Allura. Xan started to move forward, Keith held his arm out and stopped him. "Wait," he said.

"What, he just put a bullseye on himself, Keith. I know your pissed at the guy but I'm not letting him die for my planet when he should get a medal."

"Watch,"

The soldiers seemed to be in some sort of shock, one of them moved his weapon towards Lance, it had a laser pointer targeting system, it pinpointed onto Lance's forhead. "You killed my King?"

"I killed an ass," Lance said, then he winked.

Keith's eyes went to Allura. Her bow turned into a whip and she flung it out, it lashed out toward Lance and he caught in a glowing red palm, then they both rushed towards the men knocking them all off their feet and wounding them all with the laser sharp edge Keith knew Allura's whip weapon held.

Some of them still held on to their weapons, but Kyla and her men were no longer cornered, everything was an open playing field now. Keith nodded to Xan and they both ran up into the field. As Xan shot the last man standing in the thigh with his blaster a loud sound filled the air. "What's that?"

"Ships," Lance and Keith said in unison.

"Keith, Lance, Allura?" Pidge said. "We're coming in hot in Rogue's with Wade, what's the status."

Keith, Lance and Allura eyes started to gaze around, Xan's soldiers, still being lead by Kyla, were holding their own. Xan grinned proudly at Keith, before he took off to help two more soldiers stand against five of Seth's.

"Status is Seth is dead, Xan's men are out numbered, it's chaos but Xan's men are holding their own. Did the recording go viral?"

"Yes, even got in it in here," Pidge said, sounding proud. "Good job, Chief!"

"Good."

"Uh, Hunk and I are to focus on rescuing Allura and Lance, and arresting you."

Lance laughed. "Of course you are."

"Yeah, so uh, got any plans off the top of your head, Lance?" Hunk asked.

Keith had to admit, it made sense, Lance had proven to be the expert so far in not arresting him. "There are no cliffs here Hunk, he's probably stymied."

Allura started laughing hysterically, Lance stared, for a long beat than he belted out a hard belly laugh. "That was good, not the place or time, but good," Lance admitted, as he rose his magma pistol up about level to Keith's ear and shot.

Turning Keith watched as one of Seth's men fell to the ground, he moved his sword out as two more came up the hill towards the three of them. Allura and Lance flanked him at either side, Keith stood in the middle. All three of them weapons raised and ready.

The two soldiers stopped, their blasters in shaky hands, they looked at each other and then at Keith, Lance and Allura. They dropped their weapons. "We surrender."

Kyla came up behind them, ready to shoot and saw that they'd dropped their weapons, she looked at the three of them, they were still in fight-ready position having heard her before seeing her. "Formidable," she said. "But I wouldn't have tucked my tail between my legs," she said taking the blasters, and then tying the soldiers wrists with the rope Xan used for his prisoners lacking real cuffs. "You are now the prisoners of the real King of Xios," Kyla said.

A few of the ships had fired warning shots from the air, but they all had landed, they heard Wade before they saw them. Lance immediately grabbed Keith in a chokehold, Allura reached out and put Keith's voltcom into camouflage mode. Then she walked around the two men, so she was standing behind Lance. Wade made it up the hill.

"That Xan fellow, who I guess we'll be dealing with if he wants to keep Xios in the Alliance that is... he said you were up here... Oh, Commander Keith, look at this."

"Yeah, look at this," Keith muttered.

Lance whispered in his ear. "What was I supposed too keep chatting with you," he asked, quickly knocking his own voltcom invisible by using Keith's chin, hoping Wade was too busy enjoying the moment to notice. It seemed he was.

"This is quite the beautiful moment," Wade laughed. "You have killed the wrongful Prince, I am quite embarrassed to think I have allowed myself to be fooled by him, by his promises to change for the better. And now, you have this traitor in your arms, ready to be taken in and arrested. Where we can put him on trial for all his crimes. They are many, petty theft to grand larceny, to breaking Alliance Intergalactic Treaties. Life Keith, Life in the Void."

Keith made a show of trying to escape, Lance made a show of keeping him in his hold. Allura started walking towards Wade, "Sky Marshall, we really shouldn't stay in the open, Xan and his men..."

"Are being aided by trained alliance soldiers. The bad guys are now the ones outnumbered, what is left of Seth's army, that is not running away will be jailed. Separately from Keith here. He's too important and far too dangerous not to have watched 24/7. You, and I think Tech Sargents Hunk and Pidge, You three will do it, after all you all have personal reasons to make sure he pays, don't you?"

"Yes, sir," Lance said. "He betrayed what we all were fighting for by going rogue, turning his back on the Alliance and our military brotherhood."

Hunk and Pidge appeared over the hill. They saw Wade, Allura and Lance holding Keith. Both of them went from smiles to crestfallen, then they schooled their features. Pidge ran to Allura. "Thank Goodness, you are okay, Princess Allura, Arus can now rest easy," Pidge said, hugging her.

Hunk gave her a large bear hug.

Keith at seeing Hunk and Pidge, had a huge rush of homesickness. All of them were here, his whole world, the people who reminded him why he wanted to protect the world from the likes of Wade, the Lotor's and Seth's of the world. Why he loved being the Commander of Voltron, it was a calling more than anything and it was for friends and family. For the people he loved, he glanced at Allura - even if they didn't love him the way he loved them.

"Have a stupid plan yet," he asked Lance under his breath without even forming all the words.

Lance nodded.

Keith knew he was going to regret this. "Do it," he grunted, once again making a show of trying to escape, as Lance once again tightened his hold to keep him in his grip.

Wade laughed at them - or rather at him, Keith, thought - and pointed. "Keith, don't try to fight it, you aren't getting lucky this time and getting away. Tech Sargents, the four of us will walk with the man in the center of us, our blasters aimed for his head. He tries anything he gets shot in the head. Understood?"

Lance, Hunk and Pidge nodded.

"Princess Allura," Wade handed her a pair Alliance grade handcuffs. "Put these on him."

As Wade turned his back, Lance leaned forward and whispered into Keith's ear. "You can use that blazing sword of yours with the cuffs on right? It will reveal the voltcom to Wade, but..."

Keith nodded. "I'll do it."

"Grab Allura, he can't allow anything to happen to her and still look good to the Alliance counsel or the anyone in the Galaxy Alliance Military, the Sky Marshall position is an elected position. I just wish it had limited terms."

"Politics later, Lance. I'm in," he muttered.

"Good, Allura's fine with it, so don't worry," Lance said.

"How do you know?"

"I know," Lance said.

Keith glanced over at Allura, Wade had finished whatever else it'd been he said to her, she was walking over now, followed by Hunk and Pidge, both of who were looking like their gerbil had died. It fit the moment though, Wade was probably seeing two men who hated a former leader for betraying them. He saw two friends who were missing a wanted happy reunion. He knew the feeling. Pidge looked like a man, Hunk looked like he'd lost weight - Keith wanted to know about these things.

Hunk and Pidge leveled their blasters at his head. Wade did as well, over Allura's head as she was at least a head shorter than both him and Lance. Lance let go of his hold, only enough for Allura to put on the cuffs.

Allura looked right into his eyes as she snapped on the cuffs, they were full of tears. "I hate this," she whispered. "You should be home with us, the three of us stood together here and it was what it was supposed to be. The five us is even better."

"It has to be this way," Keith said, biting his tongue from saying anything else. He wanted to say that they belonged together, he and her, but he wasn't sure anymore. He'd seen how well she worked with Lance, how much better Lance seemed to just know her. That would be his fault though, he'd spent too much time loving her and keeping a distance had he really not learned who she was? Maybe he owed her that, if anything as her team leader, he couldn't bring himself to call himself her friend. It hurt to much, he was still in love with her.

The cuffs were snapped in place. He'd have to have the space mouse cut it off of him when he got to his ship, which Xan had had moved close to the campsite. He'd have to leave his computer behind, it'd be protected by Xan he could count on that and he'd find a way to get a knew one and contact Pidge for what it needed.

Crap, he'd never know what was in the emails from Lance. Keith rolled his eyes, not the time or place to realize he gave a damn about that.

Soon they were walking. Hunk and Pidge on his right, Hunk's gun at his head, Pidge ready to turn and aim for his head if anything happened. Wade on the left in the same position as Pidge. Lance on the left in Hunk's position.

Allura next to Lance, inside closer to Keith. It was on purpose, it was another thing that amazed Keith. They hadn't been close enough to talk, to whisper, to even risk mouthing anything. He'd conveyed this to her wordlessly, how had she'd known. Was it just knowing how crazy stupid he was? Everyone knew that but still? Keith sighed, he'd have to ask her, he needed to know because he'd wanted to know how Lance thought a few times, so he could try curb it when they were fighting, so he wouldn't go too out of the box and put them in danger.

Not that his ideas ever had but the possibility was always there.

Her fingers brushed his. It was time. His sword appeared, he spun towards Allura, then grabbed her by putting his cuffed arms around her neck. Sword out, all in less than a minute. "I'll kill her," he said his voice devoid of emotion, it sounded true, Wade would buy it.

Lance, Pidge and Hunk kept their blasters steady, as did Wade. Lance's eyes were on Wade though. "Wade, we have to let him go!"

"He is a wanted fugitive."

"Allura!" Lance yelled as if that explained it all, and Keith supposed it did. Lance sounded terrified, as if this was a real situation, that Allura was truly in danger. Yet...Keith realized he knew Lance would be stone cold in the real situation to save her, he wouldn't let the real emotions affect him until afterwards.

"I realize who she is Commander," Wade snapped.

"Don't worry about me, he's dangerous, he should be taken down," Allura said.

"No he shouldn't be," Xan said walking up.

Wade stared at the him. "Excuse me?"

"You are Sky Marshall Wade?"

"Yes, I am, but I don't have for introduction, Prince. As you see."

"I don't care. I am offering Asylum to Keith Quinn on Xios."

Wade turned red, then purple, then he turned to Xan. Keith watched intrigued, Wade was a big man by human standards but Xan still towered over him being a large man by Xiosian standards. "You what? You can't do that, you are part of the Alliance, and he is a wanted on all..."

"Excuse me but that Alliance Treaty was made by Seth. An impostor to the throne. I do not yet know how I feel about the Alliance. I do however know that this man, Keith Quinn has helped me. Without him I wouldn't have been able to get the message out that I am the true King of Xios. I do apology for kidnapping Princess Allura, but she will attest I am sure we treated her well. It was just a means to an end, with no ill intent."

Wade turned. "He has ill intent now."

"He has asylum now, he told me how your laws work, you can't argue with me, Sky Marshall, can you?"

Keith thought Wade was going to have a stroke, there was a vein in his forehead that was pulsing, his face was was a strange shade of purple. "Arms down men."

Lance nodded to Pidge and Hunk, Keith noticed, before the two of them put down their blasters. Lance however held his up. "Mine doesn't go down until Allura is by my side."

Wade just waved a hand at Lance. "Do what you need to do, but come down and meet me at my ship once it is done," he ordered.

Keith closed the sword and lifted his arms, Allura extracted herself and went over to Lance. Keith watched as he kissed her on the cheek before he looked at Pidge and Hunk and said in a loud voice, in case Wade was still listening. "Keep on him anyway, Tech Sargents."

"Aye sir," they both said.

He walked off after Wade.

Keith watched, wondering what Wade's orders were.

Kyla came up the hill, holding Keith's computer. "Alla, pulled this out from under one of those moving vehicles, I don't think it's damaged."

Keith stepped forward to take it but as Kyla was about to hand it to him, Pidge took it, opened it and quickly turned it on. "She is right, it has survived the battle intact. Just want to run a quick update by connecting it to my computer back at the Castle," his tongue poked out as hit buttons at truly scarily fast pace. "And there we go," Pidge smiled as he handed the computer to Keith. "All up to date."

"Thanks, Pidge," Keith said.

Then it went quiet, an awkward unwanted quiet because the four of them standing there, clustered together, because Keith realized that Allura was right by his side, Hunk was right by Pidge's. They'd formed a tight-knit square but they had to break it apart, they had no choice, he had no choice. But something was stopping him.

Xan cleared his throat.

Keith glanced over. "Uh, I take it you'll be taking off in that ship of yours, huh?"

Keith nodded.

Xan stepped closer and held out his hand. "You will always have a home here, Keith, and better quarters to sleep in next time."

Keith nodded. "I will keep your hospitatility in mind if need be."

Xan turned his gaze onto Allura. "Princess, I may not be sure about making an Alliance with with GA, but I would like to make one with Arus."

Allura nodded. "I would be honored, I have reasons to think Arus and Xios have some unknown connection already."

"The stones?" He asked, looking between her and Keith.

They nodded.

"I look forward to having a clue about what you two are saying."

Lance made his way back up the hill, he didn't shout anything to warn them of Wade being on his heels, so Keith let his shoulder's relax, Lance then didn't stop until he was on the other side of Keith, making their tight-knit square a kind of semi circle.

Xan smiled at them all, then motioned to Kyla. She nodded to Keith and he nodded back, then she turned and walked away with the Prince of her people. Keith did hope he saw them both again.

"So, I uh," Keith shuffled his computer so it went under his left arm. "I should go," he said.

Hunk scuffed his boot into the snow. "This sucks, I think I'm even losing my appetite here."

Pidge nodded. "This just isn't right. We know Wade was working with Seth, Lance you saw them?"

"Yeah, working with Alliance made things, the only other thing they were doing was using Xiosian stones for energy but Seth's family been hoarding and doing that for years - I doubt Wade's fingerprints are on that at all, even if he helped."

Lance explained.

Pidge moved his glasses off his eyes and wiped them. "Damn it I told myself I wasn't going to cry like some stupid kid," he muttered.

Hunk sniffled next to him. "Me too."

Allura wiped at her own cheek and then she reached out and undid the handcuffs and took Keith's hand hers. Keith looked down at her hand in his, her hand was cold, it was a cold night of course, they were on Xios. But he felt her warmth nonetheless, then he felt Lance's calloused hand take his free hand, when he looked up he saw Allura had her other hand in Hunk's, Hunk was holding Pidge's and Pidge and Lance were holding hands too.

Keith bowed his head, unable to look at them for fear of showing to much emotion, his jaw clenched, he hated everything as much they did but it was on his shoulder's to do the hard part. Be away from home, them, the network of support they'd been gifted due being the Voltron Force. It was something no one could understand from the outside - except for Sven - it was impossible to explain.

He looked up. "I will succeed."

"And we'll have your back," Lance said.

"Always," said Allura.

"I'm always a keystroke away," Pidge said.

"You know where to find me," Hunk said.

"Eating?" Keith said.

Lance laughed. "You re-found your funny bone recently, this is a good thing, was it on Xios the whole time?"

"Shut up," Keith said.

Allura squeezed his hand and from Hunk's face, he saw she'd squeezed his as well, so he squeezed Lance's.

"Boys, be serious - a little bit - we are saying good bye, for a bit not forever. Be careful, Keith. Please, remember you can always count on us," she said, her look pointed and he felt all the layers of her statement.

He nodded at her, a promise to try.

"I'm not saying goodbye," Hunk said. "I'm going to take you to a monster truck show when you get back, we're going to go to Earth even if we have to incognito at first and catch one."

Pidge laughed. "I'm not saying anything because I'll see you soon enough on video comm."

Keith nodded.

"I'll just be here not giving up," Lance said, his message having more than one meaning as well as Allura's.

Keith nodded to that too, a part of him wanted to forgive him but the anger felt raw, the pain still stung. He did trust Lance to have his back though, he'd learned that tonight, it'd been instinctual, yes, but it'd been based in truth and it hadn't been wrong. He trusted Lance to do what was right for the team, he swallowed. "Walk with me," he said to Lance.

Lance nodded.

Keith turned and walked off, Lance was a step behind him, Keith didn't have to turn around to know he wasn't beside him because he'd paused to convey something to Allura with a look.

They walked to the path that Xan's men had marked for him that led to his ship, it was about thirty feet from the camp, but you could see the fire light from the camp behind them still. "Lance, I just...look I know this already, but I want to say it."

"Sure," Lance said.

"Take care of them, the team."

"I will," Lance said.

Keith nodded then something else struck him. "Look, uh, Allura told me about Farla," he said.

Lance paled and looked away. "Yeah, that's my fault."

"You did what you had to do there, it's my fault too. But that's not what I was going to say," Keith said.

"Oh, what?"

"Tell Allura, why it hits so hard. I gave her the basics because she asked, but..."

"She asked that?" Lance asked.

Keith shrugged. "I think she was trying to prove two points. That I know you and I still care about you."

"Yeah, I hate it when she's right too," Lance said.

Keith shook his head but didn't tell Lance not to push it. "Soon."

"Yeah, see you next time you're dumb enough to get your ass caught," Lance laughed.

"Keep letting me get away, Wade's going to get on to you,"

Lance shrugged. "Risk, I'll have to take, so good thing I love taking risks."

Keith rolled his eyes, then turned toward the path, got a better grip on his computer and started off walking back toward his ship. His stuff had been packed the night before, because the plan was for him to take off as soon as possible after Allura's exchange for the stone. He hoped Xan found that the Alliance wasn't all bad, that Wade was just the bad apple in charge of it, currently, but he wouldn't blame his new friend if he didn't want in. He did know though they had a new ally in there covert actions to get back Voltron.

That could only be good.


	44. Chapter 44

~~~~44~~~~

Lance watched Xan, with Kyla by his side, walk into the room to meet with Wade, and the other Alliance delegates. They looked impressive both standing straight, Kyla six feet or near it at least, Xan towering over her. The door closed with loud clank behind them and he couldn't stop the grin, Wade had lost the battle.

Now to win the war, Lance thought, and he turned feeling Allura behind him. Her hand slid into his as their eyes met, her eyes glancing toward the door.

"Just started, you sure don't want to go in there?"

"Xan knows I have his and his people's best interest at heart. He needs to hear what the other members of the Alliance present have to say," Allura said, then her nose wrinkled up. "Plus, I feel yucky, I want a bath and to change, and you could use one too..."

Lance groaned she was killing him with the teasing smile, that damn amazing smile that said she wanted to do dirty things to him. "I can't," he muttered.

Her eyes widened, the she sighed. "What did Wade order you to do?"

"It's not Wade," he said.

Allura frowned then her nose wrinkling again in a different manner and she looked around. "Lance, neither of us have eaten, changed or cleaned up since your crush, and I know you, there are very limited reasons you would turn down sex."

She nearly whispered the last word, stepping closer to him, leaning up on her toes to be near his ear. Lance couldn't help himself he bent down and kissed her, thoroughly, parting only when they needed air. Her hands were on his chest, gripping his uniform and he had his on her face, fingers tangled in her hair.

"So limited," he whispered, wanting to slam her against a wall then and there but he had to clear his head. "However, one of the first things I got when I walked Xan and Kyla up here was a summons to appear before Nanny in Coran's quarters. Alone."

Allura naturally big eyes widened alarmingly, she went white then she pressed her lips together. "No, we're going together," she gripped her hand and looked left and right. "Which way?"

"I'm going alone," Lance said, laughing a bit as he pulled her back to him. "It's better that way. They'll see I have the decency to show up, and follow the request. I shouldn't keep her waiting."

"I..." Allura groaned. "I love her, but she's such a, such a,"

"A surrogate mom you love with all your heart, even sometimes she's uptight prudish bitch?" Lance suggested.

Allura blushed in mortification, Lance figured as she nodded in agreement. "Don't believe anything she says about how you're all wrong for me, because she doesn't have a clue, she doesn't."

Lance shook his head. "I'm not letting you, whatever anyone says, you're stuck."

Allura smiled. "Good. I guess, I'll just go take a long bubbly bath all alone then," she whispered into his ear before kissing his earlobe goodbye and flashing him her flirtiest smile.

Lance had to force himself to walk in the opposite direction than her, meaning he took the longer way to the room Nanny was waiting to see him. He also knew that Coran was expecting him to still be there when returned, for his turn. He sighed, he'd get this over with.

As he walked Lance wondered about how to defend himself, how to sound worthy of Allura's affection, her love, because the facts were he agreed with the idea that he wasn't worthy of her. He wasn't. He could try to be a man worthy of her, which he would, because worthy or not he was too selfish to let her go. The only way that could happen was if she wanted him leave.

He knocked on the door and tried to brace his ears for Nanny's screaming.

The door opened, Nanny appeared, her round face a bit less round than he remembered from last time he saw her at the Castle when she'd been visiting Allura. She still wore her hair the exact same way, she was dressed the same way. She looked him up and down and made noise in her throat as she stepped aside to allow him inside. He walked inside the room, they had given Coran a larger suite than he and Allura had, with a room that functioned much like a living with the bedroom attached. Nanny walked over to the couch in the room, closest to the fire, and she sat down.

"This planet is too cold," she complained, then she pointed to the chair was right across from her. "Sit, down."

Lance sat down, his palms felt sweaty now, Nanny was being quiet, she always ranted a mile a minute, you couldn't shut her up unless you yelled at her to shut up or ordered her out of the room. It made him uneasy. He'd been expecting to her to lay into him about how he'd corrupted Allura and ruined her chances at finding a suitable Prince, and all sorts of other asinine and ridiculous things that only Nanny could believe. Instead all she had done was complain about the cold.

"I ordered some cocoa, and pastries, they haven't arrived yet. We'll start our discussion after they do," Nanny said.

Lance nodded. "Uh, yeah sure."

"Princess Allura, she is unharmed from all the fighting?"

"Yes, she's fine."

"Coran assures me that the kidnapping wasn't real, this is true?"

"Yes, Nanny. It was a ruse, Keith had the plan."

Nanny pressed her lips together. "I see," she said.

There was a knock on the door. Lance stood up. "I got it," he said and he walked over and opened the door to find Zora with the try of steaming hot chocolate and puff pastries. "Zora!" he boomed, smiling taking the tray. "Nanny, you must Zora, she's been an inside man for Prince Xan, her grandson, for years, today will be the day they finally meet. She's an amazing woman. Are you nervous?"

"Impatient, mostly, after I leave here, I'm going to make sure his room is right. I hope he likes it, though I suppose after living in a tent... I hope he doesn't find it too decadent. I haven't given him Seth's room, I couldn't stand the thought."

Nanny stood. "I cannot imagine never knowing my own children, though I was apart from them most of my life, but my duty was to Princess Allura. She needed me. I understand the sacrifice. You spied on all those years, you are very brave."

"Thank you..."

"Estella Hys, but everyone calls me Nanny," Nanny said.

"I am Zora. Please enjoy the food and cocoa," Zora left the room.

Lance put the tray down on the table and he Nanny went back to sitting, he leaned forward and took a mug, as did Nanny. He had no intention of drinking it, he just wanted something to hold. Zora had only been a short reprieve.

It was quiet again, the only sound was Nanny drinking her cocoa. Lance made him take a sip, he couldn't taste it, all he got was warmth in his mouth and he found swallowing hard. He grimaced, squeezed the mug a little tighter between his sweaty palms and tried not to stare Nanny done.

She picked up a pastry and bit into it. "They have a very good cook."

"Uh, yeah, they do."

"Do you love her?"

"The cook?" Lance asked stupidly completely thrown off before his brain processed that Nanny was finally getting down to business. "I mean yes, well, Allura, not the cook of course. I love Allura," he babbled out, his eyes rolling at himself. This was worse than facing down enemies when all you had was one weapon and knew you were outnumbered ten to one.

Nanny made another noise in her throat. "She thinks she loves you too I suppose."

Lance swallowed his angry retort. "She says she loves me, yes."

"You are sleeping with her out of wedlock."

"Yes," Lance said again, though it didn't sound like a question.

Nanny stood up then and walked to a window and looked outside. "I knew this day would come. I knew I would be face to face with either you and Keith and have to deal with this. I kept hoping it wouldn't but here it is."

"You knew it might be me?"

Nanny sighed. "Oh she was all mooned eyed for Keith, but you were the one I was always dragging out of her room. Always in there, at all those inappropriate hours, more often than not asleep on her bed you two talked so late in to the night. Didn't matter nothing was happening, that she didn't have a clue what was going on. You did, though you denied. Don't lie to me about it now."

"No, ma'am."

"She is the Crown Princess of Arus, you are..."

Lance braced himself for it, for whatever words Nanny would choice that would mean nothing. Not even of Arusian blood, nothing but a rabble-rousing pilot, a reckless scroundrel of a boy who is barely a man. Any of the words he'd heard her yell over the years about him, or any of the others.

"A hero to the people, yes. An Arusian citizen of honor and distinction," Nanny sighed. "However you are not royalty."

This conversation was not going in any direction that made sense, Lance thought. He stood up, put down the mug and walked a bit closer to Nanny. "No, I'm not even close. Keith could have pulled that off, though, huh?" he said.

Nanny turned to him, her gray eyes sharp she seemed to look right through him. "Keith was no more royal than you, just more quiet and less of a trouble maker."

Lance shrugged.

"You cannot marry her," Nanny announced.

Lance felt his heart leap into his throat, it was one thing to think it, marrying her, marriage to Allura. It was going to happen, it was, someday. They'd just started dating, in fact they still hadn't dated. He still owed her that Allura only date, that original day that was just for her and him. "Not soon, no," he heard himself say, his heart pounding as ingrained commitment issues he'd been relying on for years to keep up his serial dating style reared up inside him loud and clear.

Nanny made her another little throaty noise. "At all. This is why you must break it off now, before it goes to far, Lance."

"Hell no," he spat out, shouted really. Instinctive reaction, he wasn't leaving Allura, no one was taking Allura way from him. At all, commitment issues aside, his insecurities aside, he was with Allura for the long haul. "I'm not breaking up with her, Nanny. No."

Nanny sighed. "Lance, this isn't up for discussion."

"What isn't up for discussion is me leaving her, Nanny."

Nanny was about to speak when Pidge's voice squawked out over Lance's voltcom.

Lance took it out of camouflage mode to answer. "I told you Alliance communication?"

"Which you aren't answering? And no one can find you?" Pidge said.

"With Nanny. So, uh make this fast, please?" Lance said, his annoyance level rising. Nanny was waiting, a stubborn expression on her face, her chin jutted forward a stubborn expression that Allura had picked up as her own. This wasn't going to go well.

"I have about twenty people here at the camp, can fit about four per bike, more with the smaller kids. And six bikes are coming back and forth, shouldn't take very long at all."

"Good. When you get back, get in touch with Hunk about the other campsites, Xan gave him the intel and help him on extricating them to towns or here to the Castle, thanks Pidge."

"You got it, uh, good luck."

"Thanks, buddy," Lance said cutting off the communication. Then he looked Nanny in the eye. "I love Allura, I'm not leaving her. I don't know when we'll get married, it's not going to be soon but it will happen Nanny. So you and Coran, you just have to get used to the idea."

"It is not possible. A Princess cannot marry a man who is not of royal blood," Nanny said. "The sooner you and Allura except this the better for both of you."

Lance shook his head but he couldn't think of anything more to say. It would just go in circles, him professing love, and being stubborn. Her professing tradition and royal law, and being stubborn. It was pointless. It was a circle. He sat back down on the couch and picked up a pastry and stuff it into his mouth whole, not because he was hungry but just to raise Nanny's hackles.

He heard her make a noise of disgust as she walked by him to take her seat on the couch, beside him. "When Coran gets here, you will listen to him, a man's voice will get through to you," Nanny said in her archaic way.

Lance rolled his eyes as he swallowed and reached for his mug of cocoa.

~~~~.~~~~

Allura frowned as she kept working on towel drying her hair enough so she could leave her room. She felt much better after her shower, she'd put on a pair of jeans, her softest green sweater and she was in a hurry. Lance might have been fine with facing Nanny alone, then Coran, but she wasn't. They needed to know where she stood on everything. They needed to know what she had heard her father say with her own ears as well. Her father had told her she would choose between Lance and Keith, he told her to do so, he'd given his blessing for her to love who she was meant to love. Her Lance.

Arusian Royal Laws, be damned, she thought as she attacked her hair with her towel standing as close to the fire as she dared. For the first time her life she cursed herself for growing it so long, but then she'd remember it'd been a way to feel close to her mother, and she blushed memories of Lance constantly twisting, or wrapping it around his fingers, brushing it away from her face, her neck, or off of her breasts. She smiled and took a breath as she straightened up, ran her own fingers through her hair. "Good enough," she muttered, went to mirror, grabbed her brush and quickly brushed into a simple pony tail.

She made her way down the hallways quickly, keeping an eye for someone who could let her know where Coran's room was, then she spotted Zora with a group of servants. "Excuse me," she said, hating to interrupt whatever was going on.

Zora turned, looked her right in the eyes and smiled however. "Princess, what can I do for you?"

"Where is Ambassador Coran's room?"

"Oh, where your man is with that lovely yet uptight nanny of yours?"

Allura frowned. "Yes,"

"Straight down that hallway, last door on the left," Zora said. "She's a lovely woman, thought I take it she's unhappy with her little girl being with a man?"

Allura nodded. "Among other ridiculous things that I don't believe should matter. Thank you, Zora."

"Thank you, Princess," Zora said.


	45. Chapter 45

_Note: Sorry for the duplicate chapter, right chapter now. Rachel_

~~~~45~~~~

Lance leaned in meaning to steal a quick kiss before Nanny returned from her trip from the bathroom. Only when his lips met Allura's and his hands pulled her flush against his body, it became so much more. She was on his lap in an instant, their mouths were open to each other, they both moaned into the kiss and neither one of them wanted to stop. He pulled back, tugged at the end of her pony tail and let his forehead hit hers. "Damn," he whispered.

"Uh huh," Allura whispered, kissing the corner of his mouth, causing him to lean back in and kiss her again. Softer, slower, but wonton passionate and leading places they didn't have the luxury of going at the moment.

This time Allura pulled back and groaned in frustration. "Damn it," she said.

"Uh huh," Lance laughed, shifting in his seat to try feel more comfortable and moving her off his lap. "If you don't get off me, I'm never willing this erection away."

Allura blushed and grabbed his hand, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and kept playing with her pony tail. Leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes. Allura was holding their hands up, he could picture how she was staring at their interlaced fingers, her tiny slender fingers next to his bigger ones. He tugged on her pony more sharply, "We could make a run for it?" he said, he opened one eye and looked at her.

She looked at him, his other opened because she looked like she was considering his offer, he'd only been kidding - well half kidding - but if she said sure, he could deal with Coran later. Screw the whole showing he could be a noble straight forward guy, wasn't like it was going to do him any good in the eyes of Coran and Nanny anyway.

"No we can't," she finally said. "Sooner is better. I'm going to make myself clear and tell them exactly what Father said."

"Father?" Nanny questioned, walking out of the bathroom and crossing the room. "What about your father?"

Lance and Allura glanced at each other, he nodded.

"I was going to wait for Coran but since you overheard." Allura took a breathe. "Before we came to Xios, I spoke with my father's spirit. He told me that I would figure out my hearts true desire here. He also told me that he always knew my heart would either go to Lance or Keith, that they were the only men I would consider to be worthy of my love. He approves of Lance, I am sure he knew that while I was here I would realize I was in love with Lance. I am positive have his blessing to marry Lance."

"King Alfor said this?"

"Well not directly, not all of it," Allura said. "But I know and understand my father. We will go to him, we will ask him. He came to Lance here on Xios. If that doesn't say something, I don't know what else to say."

"You saw King Alfor here?" Nanny asked truly sounding surprised.

"More like heard him," Lance said. "Right before and after my crash."

Nanny shook her head. "I cannot know what you believe you father to have told you, Allura. But the facts are Arusian Law does not allow a Princess to marry a man who is not of royal blood."

"Then we change the law," Allura stated.

"Allura!" Nanny gasped.

"Nanny it's as simple as this. I love Lance. I'm not going to marry a stranger I do not love. I'm not going to marry anyone I do not love. No man will have a chance with me who is not Lance. Lance is it. Lance. Do you understand. Love Lance. So when he and I reach the point we are ready to get married, we will be married. Whether it's okay with Arusian royal tradition or law or not. If I need to be arrested for marrying for love, so be it. We'll go on trial. Whatever it takes. But I'm doing what I think it is right for me and my people. Because how could marrying someone who would die for the protection of Arus be wrong for the planet."

Lance was hot, his skin felt completely heated in a way he'd never felt before. Allura's speech, with her heart completely on her sleeve about him, it was too much. She really did love him, it formed a lump in his throat, made his heart beat too fast. A part of him kept screaming not to put to much stock in it, she'll come to her senses, make a crack, tell a joke, make light of this now, don't take this seriously and take this too much to heart. It's going to go away, Lance. But she was holding his hand, she was glancing at him the whole speech, he saw it all in her big blue eyes, he felt it in how her shoulder was bumping against his his and he felt the same way about her. He'd go to jail for marrying her, he'd fight tooth and nail for the right, as scary as the idea was to him here and now. It wasn't like they planning to get married next week.

Yet he was positive he would marry Allura.

"Princess! Are you hearing yourself, you are talking crazy," Nanny exclaimed as the door opened. She stood up. "Coran, thank goodness you are here, the Princess is talking crazy, she says she'll happily be arrested to marry him."

Coran sighed. "Well, that wouldn't happen. There are no laws against a marriage between them, but it is against Royal Arusian Tradition that has been carried out for generation upon generation. It is what the populace of Arus will expect you to carry out. To marry a man of royal or at least noble blood, Allura."

"They will accept Lance," Allura said, rolling her eyes. "Your objection makes no sense if the law says I can marry who I choose. If this is just about tradition as law to you. Also, Father has given his blessing."

Lance held his breathe.

"I am sure she has mistaken King Alfor's words."

"And his coming to Lance's aid? Here on Xios?"

Coran nodded. "That does mean King Alfor has a special place for Lance in his heart, but that could be explained by him being part of the Voltron Force. And while the people of Arus love Lance as a hero of the people, Allura. That does mean they will accept him as your husband."

"Well, considering that we aren't in a rush to be married, they'll have time to mull it over won't they," Allura stated, then she stood up pulling Lance with her.

He stood up with her and met Coran's eyes. "I love her, Coran, I'm not going to let anything happen to her, and I'm not going to hurt her."

Coran eyed them both and he shook his head. "This has happened so quickly. The last time I spoke with you both of you were both still friends."

"Not exactly," they both said.

Coran arched a brow.

"Earth that last visit Coran, it's where everything started changing," Allura said. "We just, it took heading home to Arus to stop us from lying to ourselves and each other about it."

Lance took a breath. "And if I'm honest, I've been burying feelings since I met her."

Allura squeezed his hand and nudged him with her hip, he nudged her back. "Coran, please, just accept this. Nanny? Please?"

Coran crossed the room to stand by Nanny, Lance watched a look pass between them which he couldn't read. He never could quite read the two of them. Sometimes their mindset was just too Arusian Old School for his modern Earth thinking to grasp.

"Allura, we think you have rushed into this relationship to quickly," Coran said. "Yes, we know you and Lance have known each other for a long while, but jumping into bed with him. We have no way of knowing how the people are going to react to their Princess not waiting until her wedding night as tradition states, as well as being with a man who is not..."

"Yeah, not noble, not royal, got it," Lance muttered.

"Lance, I don't mean to make it seem as if I don't think that you aren't worthy of Allura as far who you are goes. It's just that there is a bigger picture to be concerned with."

"You two have just gotten together, we are asking you to slow it down, to stop with the intercourse, to stop flaunting your relationship in the public so that it is shown on all over the Galaxy on media shows and on the that webby site thing," Nanny said.

Lance glanced at Allura, she glanced back at him. "No," they said in unison.

Coran sighed. "We have reached an impasse then."

"Yes," Allura said. "I also ask that you talk with Father when we return to Arus, I believe he'll be backing up Lance and me." She let go of Lance and went to hug both and Nanny and Coran.

Lance watched, her heard her tell them she loved them and she did respect them but she needed them to trust her this time. She knew what was best for her heart. He swallowed over the lump in his throat, that kept rising up when it hit him that she really did love him, it freaked him out as much as it made him happy.

"I would like a moment alone with Lance," Coran asked.

Allura sighed.

"It's okay, Allura," Lance said.

Nanny smiled, "I have pictures of my grand nieces and nephews in my room, come Allura,"she said and led Allura out of Coran's room. "It's just across the hall Lance."

Lance nodded, Allura looked back one last time and winked at him. He grinned back at her. Coran had walked over to the window, his hand behind his back in one of Coran's normal stances. Lance walked over the window as well, looked out at the vast snowy landscape, the mountain that was really a volcano where he had crashed was in view.

"This planet's Falling Stones are connected to Voltron, specifically your Lion," Coran said.

"Looks like."

"Wade knows this. It's bothersome."

"Yeah."

"Allura is very sheltered and naive in the ways of love, about men, Lance."

"I know. Which is why it always annoyed me and Keith to know end you and Nanny wanted to put her alone with strangers, just because they held royal titles. They were men. Just like every other man in the universe. With no love or respect for her, either," Lance said pointedly. "And most of the ones who showed up at the Castle. Evil. Yet you and Nanny, persist. It's insane."

Coran frowned. "We made our mistakes. But we wanted a good match for her, and the right match for the growth of Arus."

"Arus doesn't need a good match to be a strong planet any longer, Coran."

Coran turned. "Yes we are once again a strong planet, but we can never take that strength for granted. Alliances are always important."

"And Arus has many, and has made one more."

"Yes, Arus has a alliance with Xios. But not through the Alliance. Xan has withdrawn the planet from Galaxy Alliance. He says he may reconsider in a few months time."

Lance shrugged. "Do you blame him."

Coran looked at Lance. "I raised her, have cared for as she was own, Lance. Your intentions are to do right by Allura?"

"Yes."

"A sense of decorum in public wouldn't go wrong," Coran said.

Lance laughed. "Coran, I can't make promises I'm not going to keep, okay. She and I just going be who we are together. We touch, okay?"

Coran cleared his throat.

Lance shook his head. "Yeah, right, that wouldn't be okay with you."

"I trust you with her, enough, perhaps all that an old man who feels like a father can trust a man with her. Just remember she is the Crown Princess of Arus. She's special."

Lance nodded and left the room.


	46. Chapter 46

~~~~46~~~~

Lance and Allura rushed back to their room, that was when they didn't stop in empty hallways to kiss for as long as they could get away with being unnoticed. Then when someone rounded the corner, they would break apart, and say a polite hello - to the Princess, servant, or relative of the alliance dignitary who'd caught them - and rush off toward their room again, or the nearest empty hallway where either Allura or Lance would end up against the wall, depending on who managed to do the pushing first.

When they rounded the corner to their own room, they ignored the fact the hall was bound to be empty and kept their minds on their destination. However the hallway wasn't empty, Pidge was sitting on the floor, across from their door, on his laptop, typing away on his on keyboard.

They came to a halt right in front of him, flush cheeks, rumbled clothes and looked down.

Pidge held up a hand in his single that said, 'Hold on, I'm in the middle of a tricky equation or code sequence, don't talk yet and I'll be with your shorty,' as he kept typing with the other, then it dropped down and hit the keyboard typing away.

Lance looked at Allura and rolled his eyes, then he cocked his head toward their closed door and mouthed 'lock'. Allura looked from Pidge to the door, to Lance and her cheeks pink and her eyes dark with want, then she blew out a frustrated breath and shook her head. Lance nodded, he'd known it'd be a long shot anyway and even he'd feel bad about ditching Pidge in the hall.

Pidge finally stopped typing, closed his laptop. "Sorry, I'm creating a new computer game that I want to put out there as a way to judge how many people still believe in us and I was in the middle of an important coding logarithm. Anyway, Lieutenant Felix Heddar emailed me because he hasn't heard from either of you in a few days and he sent news about Farla."

A weight was suddenly in his stomach, giant and heavy. He nodded. "What happened?" he asked expecting the worst.

"She's awake," Pidge said. "But she's traumatic amnesia. She doesn't remember the day before the accident or the day of the accident. She has no idea why she took off from Lyra to come to us. She's working with Dr. Gorma and a therapist on it, and is willing to stay on Arus though. She wants to help, but she wants to talk to you," Pidge looked at Lance.

Lance couldn't quite grasped it, she was okay? She was really okay? She'd woken up. It wasn't perfect, she couldn't remember but she was alive and fine. He didn't feel better at all. "That's great," he gritted out, letting go of Allura's hand. "I'll email her and Heddar to thank him tonight," he mumbled and let himself into the bedroom.

~~~~.~~~~

Allura bit her bottom lip watching as Lance closed the door behind him. His reaction to the news Farla was out of her coma wasn't at all what she had expected from him. She knew she was missing pieces, of why he'd had such a strong reaction to her head injury. His sister had been in a coma for over a year, and he'd never been able to go to Earth to see her, to hold her hand, to help her. Then she'd taken a turn for the worse and he'd had to decide whether or not to allow machines to keep her alive or allow her to die, from a planet away.

Keith had only told her the facts, told it'd been during a time when Lance had been extra moody around the Castle. She knew the time period, she remembered when his parents died, the car crush and that his sister was hurt critically. Keith had only filled her in a few more details, video communication to earth to watch his sister in a coma for an hour feeling more and more helpless with each hour. Allura wondered if now would be when Lance would open up to her about it, because his face was all grief. He was upset his sister hadn't woken up like Farla had, if Farla could recover why hadn't Caitlin?

"Pidge, I have too..."

"I have our orders too," Pidge explained.

Allura sighed. "What does the Alliance want, you guys to return back to the Academy right away?"

"No," Pidge grinned. "We are to accompany you and Ambassador Coran back to Arus in his Coran's Ambassodor class starship. So quick trip from here, thankfully. Then we've been given permission to stay on Arus until Sunday. We are to be ready to report to duty Monday.

Allura and Pidge hugged. "It'll be good to have you all home."

"Wish Keith would be there too," Pidge murmured.

"It's too dangerous for him to come to Arus, you know that," Allura said, sadly. "But we'll see him again and we'll be all be home for good again." She didn't say when because she didn't want to get Pidge's hopes up, or her own that it would be soon. She hated that she felt it would take them time to get on the trail of where Wade had the Black Lion. They still didn't have a clue where he was hiding the keys to their lions, so they had to stay where they were, all playing a role. Lance, Pidge and Hunk as loyal Galaxy Alliance Soldiers, her as the Princess of Arus a planet loyal to the Alliance and Keith, as a wanted fugitive.

Pidge was looking at the door to her and Lance's room. "It's about Caitlin isn't it?"

Allura nodded. "I think so, he hasn't said anything yet about it to me."

"We took turns, sitting with him," Pidge shared. "He wouldn't let us bother you, but I wanted too. I thought you could help him more than we could, we could only do so much being guys. You would have made him talk, but Keith and Hunk wouldn't let me tell you. Said you'd just make him more moody and he was holding it together and we needed a cohesive team."

Allura frowned.

"I mean they cared, Keith was with him almost twenty-four/seven holding him together, I think. Being there, listening, talking about Caitlin, his parents. Keith knew them after all. I never met them, Hunk had met his Dad once. Said he was a lot like Lance."

Allura nodded. "Thanks, Pidge. I'm hoping he'll talk to me now. And it's great about Farla. So, the plan is to leave first thing in the morning?"

"First thing in the morning." Pidge nodded and grinned.

"What about the two shuttle, Lance and I flew out?"

"It fits onto the Ambassador class cargo," Pidge said. "That's what Hunk's doing now."

Allura smiled. "Okay. First thing in the morning. We'll be packing more the night. I'll tell him."

They hugged one more time and Allura watched Pidge go down the hall, then she opened the door to the room, Lance was at the desk, at the computer but it was closed and he was just staring straight ahead.

"Did you email her?"

"Yeah, and Heddar to thank him. He's a good Lieutenant, we should keep an eye on him."

Allura walked over and sat down on the end of the bed, it brought her close to Lance, he turned in the seat and looked at her. "What other news was Pidge delivering?"

"Orders."

Lance frowned. "If Wade thinks I'm not going to Arus before I return to Earth..."

Allura held up her hand. "All three of you are to return to Arus with Coran and me, on Coran's ship. Hunk's apparently loading the two person shuttle into the cargo bay now."

Lance smiled for a second before it vanished again and he looked down at his hands. Allura stood up, leaned down and grabbed his hands. "Tell me?" she asked meeting his eyes.

Staring right at her, tears escaped his eyes but he stayed quiet for a long while, but she watched his adam's apple move as he swallowed a few times. Allura waited patiently, practically kneeling before him. Then he gripped her hands, stood up, pulling her with him and moved them both to the bed, so they were sitting side by side.

"She was eighteen, they were coming back from checking out a college for her. I used to know what it was, I don't think she wanted to go there but Mom and Dad, they wanted her too. It was close and it was a good one. It was, somehow easier to handle my parents, they went so fast, truck hit the car, they were gone. But Caitlin, she was young, and she had all these plans."

"Plans?"

"She didn't know what she wanted to be when she grew up. I knew, pilot, something dangerous. She liked a million things, she wanted to try art classes and science classes, and history classes and languages. She wrote me letter after letter saying she was going to try everything before she made up her mind about anything. And then she didn't get a chance to do anything, she just was in that coma for two months, then it got worse, she stopped breathing on her own and it was let machines keep her alive or let her go. So I let her go..."

Allura wiped the tears off his face, with her fingers, and she kissed him. "You did the right thing, you know that right?"

"Yeah, still hurts."

"I know," Allura hugged him. "So with Farla?'

"It was my fault and then she went into the coma and she looked so small in the bed, reminded me of watching Caitlin through that damnable feed since I couldn't be there. She looked so tiny and small and she was I guess, but she was so vivacious and Farla is so strong. It wasn't the same but it was close enough."

"I know, I feel that way with war stories, when other talk about losing their families, their mother's, father's, brother's, I can't help but remember my own, feel my own grief as well as theirs. No one is alone when it comes to pain, we've all it."

Lance nodded, wrapped an arm around Allura and pulled them back down backward so they were staring up at the ceiling. "So, we're going home in the morning?" he asked changing the subject.

Allura nodded, kissing his neck where she saw a few tear tracks had fallen.

"We have to pack."

"I know,' she groaned.

Lance captured her lips. "We have time though," he whispered.

"We do," she said as they kissed.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Always here for you," she said as Lance pulled and she rolled on top of him.

"I love you," they said together.

**An End, For Now**

_Stay Tuned for Volume 2 of Time Changes Series_


	47. Note on Volume 2

Please continue reading the characters in this series in Time Volume 2: Winter-Spring, After Two It's Three


End file.
